


Four

by Yuki



Category: YuYu Hakusho
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Anime, Drama, F/M, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-04-16
Updated: 2012-12-16
Packaged: 2017-11-05 01:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 76,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/400890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuki/pseuds/Yuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Yusuke gone and Koenma on the run, King Yama chooses a new Spirit Detective, but there's something off about the person he's selected. It's up to Botan and Kurama to figure out the mystery and keep the new Spirit Detective alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The One to Carry On

**Author's Note:**

>         This story takes place after episode 98 of the anime. Yusuke and Hiei are in Demon World, war is looming on the horizon, Koenma is on the run from his father, and the Spirit Detective group is essentially no more.
> 
>         This is my first Yu Yu Hakusho story. While I will stay true to the original source material, I favor the dub version of the anime, which will be reflected in the characters' dialogue and elsewhere. I hope you enjoy reading.
> 
> * * *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         With Koenma on the run from Spirit World, Botan has been reassigned to King Yama's direct supervision, and she does not like the task he has given her in the wake of Yusuke and Hiei's departure for Demon World. There was also the matter of a secret deal between Kurama and King Yama.
> 
>  
> 
> * * *

        Botan wanted to scream. She wanted to rant about the unfair place the world, all worlds, had suddenly become. She would have liked to believe that it was her professionalism that kept her silent, that her set jaw in the face of her new assignment was a testament to her countless years spent as a Grim Reaper, a gentle guide to escort souls of the dead to their final rest. As much as she wanted to pretend that was the case, she knew that she was just lying to herself. The thing that forced her to swallow her rage and the bitter words forming on the tip of her tongue was fear. Few people held the courage and power to stand before King Yama – master of all Spirit World and final judge of the dead – without being intimidated, but she was not one of them.

        It was only last night that Yusuke departed for Demon World. Though he left with a smile, his absence and the circumstances around it weighed heavily on Botan and everyone else who called Yusuke friend. Returning to Spirit World and her normal duties was a depressing prospect, but she had not been given the chance to find out, as she was ordered to see King Yama immediately. There was no time for her to straighten out her pink kimono before she suddenly found herself in the cavernous throne room belonging to the ruler of the Spirit World.

        The urgency in which Botan had been summoned, coupled with the heavy atmosphere she felt when she first entered the throne room, somehow made Yama seem as though he were twenty times her size, even though it was closer to ten. He sat in his massive throne in his royal vestments, his eyes hidden by the glare reflecting off his glasses, his expression as hard as stone. It would have been easier for the aqua haired girl to face the giant king had she been allowed to remain floating on her oar, but there was a small table waiting for her not far from the king’s feet, upon which rested an inconspicuous looking manila folder.

        Botan had no sooner laid her pink eyes on the file’s contents before Yama informed her of her next assignment. In that instant, it was as if reality had taken an unexpected and very unfair turn.

        Botan looked at the file in her hand one more time to make certain that her rage was justified. The floating orbs of light hovering lazily about the room provided more than enough illumination for her to see the name printed on the cover. She was familiar with this particular case, and all it took was a quick glance at the data to verify that her memory of it was not faulty. A small part of her wondered if she had simply misunderstood Yama, but she knew that she could not cling to such flimsy denial. She could still feel the orders he gave her reverberating through her soul.

        As much as Botan wanted to scream at Yama and lecture him about how he was making a terrible error in judgment and behaving like a hypocritical bully, she forced herself to speak in even tones. “King Yama, I’m afraid I don’t understand.” She was almost pleased to note that her voice only barely wavered. “I thought the entire problem with Yusuke being Spirit Detective, despite everything he’s done for us, was the fact that he has a demon ancestor.”

        When Yama chose not to reply immediately, Botan felt her anxiety grow. Words tumbled around in her head, but somehow she managed to gather the right ones she felt might support her argument without offending the king with her justified anger. “I understand that the situation with Mushiyori is bad,” she said. “What with all the demons and demonic insects that snuck out while Yusuke and the others were stopping Sensui… I know there’s a lot of them running around that desperately need to be taken care of, but why this?” She held up the case file, shaking it slightly. “Why replace Yusuke with a new Spirit Detective so quickly? Isn’t the SDF enough to clean up this mess by themselves? They certainly seem powerful enough to take care of even B-Class demons easily. And why did you choose someone like _this_ as his replacement?” She slapped the back of her hand against the case file and quaked with both rage and fear. She realized belatedly that she had been shouting by the end of her diatribe, but she tried desperately not to let her nerves override her valid concerns. If she apologized for the harshness of her words then she would undoubtedly dull the impact of her argument and render it invalid.

        If Yama noticed Botan’s anger or fear, he deemed it beneath his concern. “The Special Defense Force in the process of cleaning up the mess left by my son’s former Spirit Detective as we speak.” His voice rumbled almost pleasantly, sounding as though it held the infinite patience and understanding of a father speaking to their child. Botan would have been put more at ease if she were not well aware of how terrible the king’s fury could be sometimes, especially when offended. She did not want to be the cause of another earthquake suddenly springing up in Tokyo.

        “However,” Yama said, “even they will not be able to eliminate every demon that has already gone into hiding within such a short amount of time. You know as well as I that they were created to defend us against the most powerful threats against the Spirit and Human Worlds. I will not have them distracted by hunting down weak demons on the run. That is the Spirit Detective’s job, or have you forgotten?”

        Botan tried to smile to disarm the harsh look Yama shot her way, but it came out more like a grimace. She could just imagine that if she were in her human guise that she would be sweating bullets under such an unsympathetic, scrutinizing gaze delivered by the king of the Spirit World. She forced herself to be cheery, even though inside she felt as though she had recently swallowed a swarm of angry butterflies. “O-of course I haven’t forgotten! Why, I’ve been _very_ focused on helping Yusuke with all his tasks.” She paused to steel her courage so that she might continue her argument. “It… it’s just… I thought all that trouble with _Yusuke_ being detective anymore was because he has the tiniest bit of demon blood in his family. It seemed to me that if his family tree had been traced back that far back when he first became a candidate for Spirit Detective, he never would’ve been allowed to become one in the first place. So I can’t understand why you would choose someone who has _no_ family tree at all!”

        Yama stared down his nose at Botan over the rims of his glasses, his brown eyes losing all trace of warmth. “Are you saying that I have made a _mistake_ in judging this matter?”

        A trill of nervous laughter bubbled up from Botan’s throat as she suddenly found herself at a loss for what to do with her hands, which seemed to flutter around her like birds caught in a cage. “What? Who? Me? No! Of course not! I-I just think that maybe there was, um, ah, a… a misunderstanding! Yes, just all one big silly misunderstanding! I would never _dream_ to question the great King Yama’s judgment.”

        The corner of Yama’s mouth pulled back into a slight smile, though his gaze remained unforgiving. “I’m glad to hear it. Since you are so worried about whatever nasty surprises might crop up, I have an additional assignment for you. I want you to keep an eye on this new Spirit Detective. Find out _everything_ you can, from family tree to earliest memory and anything else you might find unusual. You are to make your reports directly to me until I assign someone to oversee your tasks.”

        Botan wilted then bowed her head. She knew when she was beaten. “Of course, King Yama. I’ll… I’ll head out to Human World at once.” It was hard for her to accept rolling over and giving up so easily. What would she tell Yusuke if he ever found out? Perhaps she could try one last approach… “But, ah, what should I tell Yu… K-Kuwabara and the others? I-I mean they’ve helped so much before. Surely they would want to help us round up the stray demons as well.”

        Yama stroked his thick black beard, as though pensive. As the silence stretched on, Botan felt convinced that he certainly must have considered the thought before she even asked and was merely making a show of choosing whether or not to answer, to give some illusion that her concerns were valid. “You may request the assistance of Kazuma Kuwabara if you feel that he is still willing to cooperate with us, despite the fact that he has never been an official agent of Spirit World.”

        Botan tried unsuccessfully to hide her wince and nodded. Despite what had happened to Yusuke, she had no doubt that Kuwabara would help save the world again in a heartbeat. The only problem was what Shizuru’s reaction would be to the reaper dragging her baby brother around to fight more monsters. Shizuru had gotten so angry when Botan whisked Kuwabara away from his studies in order to say goodbye to Yusuke, and, in a way, Kuwabara was retired from fighting in order to lead a normal life. After everything the swordsman had gone through, it was hard to begrudge him that desire. Botan doubted that she would receive help from Kuwabara except for the big, important fights, or anything involving Shizuru or Yukina being in danger.

        “Yusuke Urameshi and Hiei, of course, have been sent to Demon World, and as such are no longer involved with Spirit World affairs,” Yama said. “As for Kurama…”

        Every second that ticked by seemed to multiply Botan’s fears. She fidgeted with the file in her hands, not noticing how her clenching fingers crinkled the corners of the papers that jutted out from the edges.

        “Kurama and I have already come to an arrangement,” Yama said. “He will be assisting the new Spirit Detective as well while he’s in Human World.”

        Botan’s anxiety changed to shock in the span of a heartbeat. For a moment, she lost her composure completely and outright gaped at Yama, her mouth hanging open in a small O. She had expected him to say something completely different – most likely a remark about how dangerous it was to have Kurama still living among humans and he should be ‘dealt’ with in some way, possibly in the same manner as Yusuke. However, Yama’s casual response to the matter sent a small spark of outrage through the reaper that loosened her tongue despite all common sense. “ _What_? You mean that you told _him_ about this before _me_? But I’m the Spirit Detective’s guide!”

        Botan almost said more but then remembered who she was talking to and quickly shut her mouth. She was only thankful such a petty concern escaped her lips, rather than the more pressing one – what made Kurama less of a threat than Yusuke in Human World. She knew she would not like the answer, and she did not intend to tempt Yama into reevaluating his decision.

        Yama raised an eyebrow at Botan, which caused the Grim Reaper to flinch and babble a quiet, somewhat incoherent apology for her outburst. He waited for her to silence herself before he responded. “Kurama came to me earlier to offer his services in exchange for safe passage to and from Demon World on a regular basis. Had he not, I would have likely sent him there permanently like Yusuke and Hiei, regardless of his attachment to certain humans in Human World. In fact, he offered to assume the role of Spirit Detective for the time being in exchange for that privilege.” He exhaled loudly, the noise coming out almost like a snort and a growl all at once. The displeased sound echoing off the high ceiling made Botan shiver a little. “I have had enough demons acting as agents of Spirit World for one millennia. For now, his duties will be limited to ensuring that we will not be in need of a _fifth_ Spirit Detective any time soon.”

        Yama leaned forward in his throne, casting his shadow over Botan and reminding the reaper just how much larger and intimidating he was compared to her. “I trust that answers all your questions and concerns to your satisfaction.”

        Botan let out a tiny squeak and nodded, knowing full well that was not a question. She had worn out Yama’s patience, and experience – as well as horror stories that spread around the office – taught her that when Yama lost his patience it was time to retreat as quickly as possible. “Y-yes, King Yama.” She let out a shaky laugh as she backed away. “I… I’ll just go talk to Kurama about this and then, well, we’ll, I guess, go introduce ourselves, right? Don’t want to make a bad first impression on the new Spirit Detective you know.”

        “Botan.”

        Botan found her feet suddenly anchored to the floor. Almost against her will, she turned back to look directly into Yama’s large eyes, which managed to pierce right through her despite the distance between them.

        “I trust that you will keep the contents of that case file confidential,” Yama said. “It would not do for the Spirit Detective’s guide to risk allowing sensitive information to fall into the hands of demons. I would prefer not have to find someone else to train my Spirit Detectives from now on.”

        Botan swallowed, trying to force her throat to open back up again so that she could speak. She did her best to sound at least a little affronted by the suggestion in order to hide her anxiousness. “O-of course I won’t say anything about it. Wh-what kind of guide would I be if I sp-spread gossip around like that?”

        Yama leaned back in his throne, never blinking. “My son will be informed of the situation as soon as he returns. You need not burden yourself to seek him out for his assistance.”

        If Botan’s spirit body possessed a heart, it would have stopped beating. She tried desperately to maintain her poker face – a flimsy effort at that. The only thing keeping her from babbling out every sort of denial that crossed her mind was pure terror rendering her silent. _Does he know? How could he? I’ve been so careful! H-he can’t possibly have found out I’ve been talking to Koenma in secret about what’s been going on around here… right?_

        “You are dismissed,” Yama said.

        It took a couple seconds for Botan to process the fact that he was letting her go instead of grilling her for information about Koenma. She bowed deeply as quickly as she could then backed up, fumbling behind her for the door. “Yes, King Yama, Sir. I-I’ll just go ahead and, ah, get out of your hair.” She felt a small wave of relief wash over her when she felt something solid and pushed the door open. “Goodbye!”

        The second the words left her lips, Botan left Yama’s office as quickly as she could without making it appear as though she was running away. She waited until she left the outer office and was safely away from both Yama’s gaze and that of his secretaries before she broke out into a sprint. She did not stop running until there were at least six hallways between her and Yama’s office. She took ragged, shallow breaths as she leaned against the wall, more out of reflex learned from spending so much time in a human body than a real need to take in oxygen or cool down. Once she soothed her frayed nerves, she brushed her bangs out of her face so she could get another look at the file held tightly in her hand. She sighed as she absently smoothed out the creases she made. “Oh Yusuke,” she whispered. “Why did it end up like this?”

        Botan closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, trying to suppress the feeling of hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her. The idea that Yusuke had been so quickly and easily discharged, replaced, and discarded to Demon World like trash was so terrible that she could not think of anything appropriately awful enough to compare it to. Not only had his position been filled within little over a week, he could never return to the Human World – not if he wanted to remain alive. If the former Spirit Detective ever came back, she had no doubt that Yama would reactivate the order to assassinate him. The only way she was ever going to see Yusuke again would be to ferry him off to the afterlife.

        Tears blurred Botan’s vision before she hastily wiped them away with the back of her sleeve. _No. I can’t just give up on Yusuke. I have to remain positive. He’ll find a way to come back without having to d-die. Yusuke **always** finds a way out of a tough spot, even if that tough spot includes dying. It’s not like he doesn’t have a habit of refusing to stay dead after all. I just have to stay positive and… and… train his replacem… the new detective. Yusuke never really wanted to be Spirit Detective anyway, so it’s… it’s okay. It’s okay._

        Botan sighed before she forced herself to straighten up and put on her best determined expression, even if there was no one watching her at the moment. She was not the type of person to let unpleasant things get her down for long. She had experienced plenty of tough assignments in the past. This was not any different than, say, talking a rather stubborn ghost out of lingering in Human World, or something like that. If she could handle trying to save the world on a regular basis, she could certainly handle an uncomfortable situation like this.

        Botan gave the folder a sharp look and flipped it open. She would not let some setbacks stop her, or cause her to hold it against the new charge. Her eyes were drawn to the photograph on the brief profile summary set neatly on top of the small stack of papers. This new Spirit Detective reminded her almost nothing of Yusuke, but then again she imagined that was likely the entire point.

        As Botan’s eyes scanned the information with great fervor, a small whisper at the back of her mind feared that Yama’s decision would result something terrible for either Yusuke or the new Spirit Detective. She almost succeeded in ignoring that tiny voice.

        Almost.

* * *

        The buildings of Mushiyori City passed by quickly many meters below Botan as she flew sidesaddle on her oar towards her destination. The area filled her with a complicated mixture of emotions, mostly unpleasant ones, which simply piled onto all the other feelings she was already dealing with. Just over a week ago, this place had almost been ground zero for the end of the world, and now she was there to find the person selected to replace the Spirit Detective who saved it. _If this is King Yama’s idea of being ironic then I certainly don’t appreciate his sense of humor._

        For a moment, Botan wondered if she should have gone to see Kurama before heading for Mushiyori so that they could come together and perhaps discuss the situation. That thought was quickly squashed when she reminded herself of how he had not mentioned a single word to her about him making a deal with Yama, or that a new Spirit Detective had been selected. _He can just come and introduce himself on his own for all I care. It’s not like King Yama told me what exactly Kurama was supposed to **do** to help out anyway. He’s probably just supposed to go out on missions like he did with Yusuke..._

        Botan sighed, as a more pressing thought weighed on her mind. “How am I going to tell everyone that Yusuke has been replaced?” There really was no gentle way to break the news to them as far as she could see. She shook her head after she noticed that she was closing in on her destination. “I’ll think of something… _after_ I’ve introduced myself.”

        Botan considered whether she should pretend to be a fortuneteller like last time when shouts from below caught her attention. She slowed her oar and made her descent as sought out the source of the ruckus. A small dog was barking its head off as it made a mad dash along the sidewalk. Not far behind it, a schoolgirl in junior high uniform was in hot pursuit, pleading with the pedestrians milling about to snag the dog before it passed them by. Most people simply stopped to watch the scene unfold, though a few did try to grab the dog or the leash that trailed behind it. Somehow, the dog continually managed to slip between grasping fingers and darted between legs, always keeping a few lengths ahead of the girl chasing it.

        Botan had been ready to shrug the incident off when the dog veered away from the sidewalk then suddenly came to a halt in the middle of the street to catch its breath. She could see the scene unfolding before her even before she spotted the car heading right for the dog at a reckless speed. “Oh no…” The girl must have seen the car too and ran into the street in order to save the dog, or she was so focused on catching it to realize the danger she put herself in. “No! Get out of the street!”

        Botan willed her oar to move as fast as possible towards the girl, knowing that she wasn’t going to make it in time and that her shouting could not be heard by the living in this form. Even though she was a Grim Reaper and had seen accidents like this occur many times, she was unwilling to sit idly by and watch someone die if there was a chance that she could stop it from happening.

        The dog looked back, oblivious to the car barreling towards it. Upon seeing the girl, it ran to the other side of the street, away from the danger that the girl had thrown herself into for its sake. Botan cringed and covered her eyes, knowing that it was too late. She heard the screech of tires but no telltale crunch of metal or cracking of glass. Reluctantly she lowered her hand and slowed her oar to survey the scene. To the reaper’s immense relief, she saw the girl standing on the opposite sidewalk, obviously shaken up but otherwise fine. The driver of the car stuck his head out the window and spewed rather ugly curses at the girl before continuing on his way, albeit at a slower speed than before. The girl shook her head, as though trying to brush off the fact that she had come within a hair’s breadth of death.

        Botan put her hands to her chest and let out the metaphorical breath she was holding in a literal sigh. “What a relief.” Despite the intense scene she saw only moments ago, an ironic smile tugged at her lips. “I seem to recall something like this happening before I met Yusuke too. At least this time it didn’t end with someone dying.”

        Despite the brush with death, the girl did not linger long. She spotted the dog further along the sidewalk and resumed the chase. Botan was not sure if the girl simply recovered quickly from traumatic incidents or was too focused on catching the dog to fully understand what had happened. As Botan watched the girl round the corner and disappear from sight, she considered whether she should follow. After a few moments of deliberation, she decided that the chances of the girl getting in another accident were slim enough that her presence was not necessary.

        Only a second later did Botan realize that she recognized the girl. The shock caused her to go rigid for a moment before she slowly turned, looking from the tire marks on the road to the place where she last saw the girl. “It can’t be…”

        After a bit of searching, Botan found both girl and dog in a vacant lot. The girl was slowly circling the dog while speaking soft assurances that she had no intention of harming it. The dog growled at the girl, its body tensed in a crouch. Though obviously exhausted, its eyes never left the girl, and it kept turning its head to keep sight of her as she made a full rotation around it.

        Suddenly the girl flicked her hand in the direction of the dog and a glowing dome of blue energy sprang up around the animal, trapping it. “Gotcha!” The dog seemed to have no idea that it had been cornered until the girl stepped closer and it backed up into the wall that was likely completely invisible to its eyes. The girl snatched the end of the leash now that the dog could no longer run away and grinned ear to ear. “Finally!”

        Botan drifted in closer until she hovered barely above the ground behind the girl as she let out a giggle. “Well, that’s certainly one way to use your Territory.”

        The girl jumped, startled, and turned to face Botan. Her bright azure eyes were wide as they fixed on the reaper, despite how her quick movements caused her long bangs to fall across her face and partially obscured her vision. Her thick black hair was much longer than what most women put up with, ending just beneath her knees, and bound in a low ponytail with a ribbon tied in a bow near her shoulder blades. Her skin was fair, her body type curvy, and she was slightly taller than average – they would have been looking eye to eye if the reaper had not been floating at the moment. Most importantly of all, her heart shaped face matched the photograph Botan had memorized perfectly.

        Botan grinned, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction that her hunch was correct. “I’m sorry. I didn’t startle you, did I?”

        The girl blushed faintly as she looked away. “Well, um, a little. I–” She tensed before turning back to get another look at Botan. Her gaze traveled down to the ground, where the reaper’s feet did not touch, and then back to Botan’s smiling face. The girl’s eyes widened as she took a couple involuntary steps backward. The dog barked in protest and scrambled back to the end of the leash now that the barrier trapping it was gone.

        Botan unsuccessfully hid a giggle behind her sleeve. “Oh come now, you can’t tell me that you’re scared of little old me after you defeated a terrible demon like Horumon only a week ago.”

        The girl took a few moments to articulate a response. “Y-you know about that?”

        “Yep!” Botan said. “And I have to say that I was quite impressed when I found out about it. Not many people would risk their lives to save the person who bullied them all through school you know. _Especially_ not against a demon wanted for four previous convictions in Spirit World.”

        The girl found her shuffling feet oddly interesting. “Thank you, but I can’t say I really meant to…” She went silent for a moment before she turned her gaze back to Botan. “Wait. How _do_ you know about that? I never told _anyone_ , and Fukui doesn’t even remember any of it. Who are you?”

        “Oh,” Botan said, “forgive my rudeness. My name is Botan. I’m a guide to the River Styx, or in other words I guess you could call me a Grim Reaper.”

        The girl stared at Botan as if seeing her for the first time, brushing her long bangs back to get a better look at the floating girl. “Grim… Reaper? You, ah, you don’t really look anything like I imagined.”

        Botan smiled as she thought back to the first time she met Yusuke and how he had made a similar comment, though not quite so tactfully. “I get that a lot.”

        The girl’s expression slowly shifted from surprised and embarrassed to wary. “If you’re the Grim Reaper then why are you here? If it’s about that car…”

        Despite the serious topic, Botan had a hard time suppressing the urge to laugh. She could not fail to see the irony of the situation. “Don’t worry. I’m not here because of _that_. I’m here to see _you,_ Silly.”

        “Me?”

        Botan nodded and pulled out her book, flipping it open more for show than because she needed to refresh her memory. “Amaya Mamori, age 15. Kind hearted and polite, but easily flustered and shy. Oldest child of a family of six with a mother, father, two sisters, and one brother. A senior with top marks at Ugetsu Junior High, which was the site of your heroic battle against the wicked demon Horumon just last week. And it goes without saying that you have a strong sense of spiritual awareness that has allowed you to see ghosts and apparitions since you were a very young age.” She closed her book and smiled at Amaya in spite of the shocked expression on the dark haired girl’s face.

        “That’s…” Amaya slowly shook her head. “How…” Her brow furrowed. “Wait. You’ve been _spying_ on me?”

        Botan pouted as she put her hands on her hips. “It’s not really _spying_. Spirit World keeps track of _every_ human since the day they’re born until the day they die. It’s our job to keep record of their lives and make sure that when they meet their final rest that they will be fairly judged for both their good and bad deeds.”

        Amaya took a moment to digest this information before speaking. “I… guess that makes sense. If you really are the Grim Reaper I mean.”

        Botan felt put off by the remark and let out a huff. “Well of _course_ I am. Just because I don’t go around without any skin or wear a black cloak and brandish a scythe doesn’t mean I’m not a Grim Reaper. Surely the fact that I’m flying and know about something you yourself said no one else could know is proof enough.”

        Amaya’s cheeks pinked as she had the good grace to appear chastised. “I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but I’ve encountered a lot of ghosts that like to stalk people. Though I admit you do seem somehow different than they are…”

        Botan wore her best smile to put Amaya’s mind at ease. “Don’t you worry. All of your information is _strictly_ confidential. I’m the one in charge of your case file, and I _know_ how to keep a secret. I doubt anyone but King Yama knows as much about you as I do, and you don’t have to worry about _him_ until it’s your time.”

        Amaya pondered the reaper’s words in silence. She lightly traced the edge of the black velvet choker around her neck. “Okay. I guess if I can accept all the other strange supernatural things I’ve seen I can accept that a girl who looks my age and rides a flying oar is a Grim Reaper.”

        “Glad to hear it!” Botan said. “Now, that, that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

        Amaya gripped the choker’s heart-shaped charm as her apprehension grew. “This doesn’t have anything to do with anyone dying, does it?”

        Botan’s voice tinkled with an undercurrent of laughter. “No, Silly. In fact, the reason why I’m here is completely the opposite. I want your help to _save_ lives.”

        Amaya blinked, twice. “Really?”

        Botan winked. “Just because I’m a Grim Reaper doesn’t mean that my only duties are guiding the recently deceased you know. I’m an emissary of Spirit World, and I’m here to inform you that _you_ , Amaya Mamori,” she pointed at Amaya, “have been chosen for a _special_ assignment. You out of all people have all the qualifications necessary to become Spirit Detective for the Human World.”

        Without thinking, Amaya mimicked Botan’s gesture, releasing her choker to point at herself. “Me?” She did not know if she should feel more flattered than confused. “Why me? What’s a Spirit Detective? Is that someone who hunts down ghosts who commit crimes?”

        Botan winked and pantomimed a shooting gesture at Amaya. “Bingo! You got the answer exactly right. Your job is to take care of ghosts, demons, and anyone else with supernatural abilities who threaten people’s lives and disrupt the natural order of Human World and Spirit World.”

        Amaya was briefly distracted when the dog made another attempt to get away, yanking on the leash harshly enough that it nearly slipped through her fingers. She yelped and fumbled for a moment to get a better hold on the leash and tied the end around her wrist to prevent it from happening again. She was unable to hide how awkward she felt as she looked from the dog back to Botan. “You mean… you want me to fight more demons like Horn Boy, I mean Horumon, right?” She paused only long enough for the reaper to nod. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but killing that demon was an accident. I mean, I knew I had no choice but to try at the time, since if I didn’t he was going to kill me and Fukui like he killed Mr. Abe, but I was just really, _really_ lucky that I managed to trick him into stabbing his own head like that.”

        Botan’s smile never faltered, as she called to mind all the times Yusuke won by nothing more than sheer dumb luck. “Oh don’t be so modest! I watched the tape of your fight with Horumon and it was amazing! Imagine, discovering a hidden power you didn’t know you possessed just in time to save your life. I thought it was really clever how you used that umbrella like that to form a blinding shield around his head.”

        Amaya felt her face grow warm. “Th-thank you. Though, what I was trying to do really was make him suffocate. When I saw him attacking the shield I just, well…” She shrugged, unsure of how to finish that sentence. “I’m just not sure how well I’d do if I had to fight a demon like that all over again.”

        “Don’t you worry,” Botan said. “With a little training, and a really good teacher,” she favored Amaya with a pose, “I’m sure you’ll be able to handle any case Spirit World has to throw at you in no time. I noticed that you’ve been spending all your spare time training on your own since then already.”

        Amaya bit her lower lip. “Yes, but I was doing that in case of an emergency. I wasn’t exactly planning on going into the demon slaying business…”

        Botan waved, as though to dismiss the thought, her sleeve completely hiding her hand. “Don’t be silly. A Spirit Detective’s job isn’t to act like a hitman for the Spirit World. The tasks can range from rescuing captives held by bad guys with supernatural abilities to recovering powerful items before they get misused by the wrong people.” She paused for a moment and her good cheer faltered. “Although… I guess given the way things are right now the cases are mostly to track down and take care of demons that got out from Demon World and are hiding out here in Human World.”

        Amaya felt her insides clench. “Does this have anything to do with all those deformed insects and the sky turning red not too long ago?”

        A quiet sigh escaped Botan’s lips as she nodded. “Afraid so.” She hesitated to continue, wondering just how much to tell Amaya about the incident with Shinobu Sensui. After seeing how the new Spirit Detective seemed to grow a little more anxious the longer Botan kept quiet, the reaper decided to save that topic for a later time. That case was over after all, and the second Spirit Detective would never bother anyone else ever again. “But don’t worry. The reason why they came here has been taken care of, and a good number of those insects and demons have already been dealt with. All that’s left to take care of is to find the ones who went into hiding and stop them before they hurt anyone.”

        Amaya cast her eyes downward as she spoke so softly that Botan nearly missed what she said. “Like Mr. Abe…”

        Botan nodded, her expression set with grim determination, though she made sure to add an encouraging smile. “So what do you say? Are you ready to help clean up this town?”

        Numerous emotions warred across Amaya’s face – uncertainty, anxiety, and a flickering of fortitude most of all. The schoolgirl finally answered just as Botan was about to prompt her for a response. “Am I _really_ the best person for the job? The demon I fought was strong enough to slice through the shoe lockers like they were made of tissue paper, and he used this awful gas attack that almost took me out. Surely there must be someone else out there who would be better suited for this?”

        Botan closed her eyes and sighed deeply, thinking once again of Yusuke’s dishonorable discharge and what amounted to banishment to Demon World. She thought briefly of Kuwabara, who was trying to live a normal life, Hiei, who had left to fight on a side opposing the one Yusuke went to, and Kurama, who had been outright denied the position of Spirit Detective. “I’m afraid there isn’t.”

        Amaya grimaced, both at the answer and at the utterly crushed look on Botan’s face. “So… I take it then that if I don’t accept the job and fight the demons the whole world will be doomed?” She cringed, as saying the thought aloud only made it even worse to bear. “No pressure…”

        Botan jerked her head up with the realization that instead of building up the new Spirit Detective’s confidence and encouraging her charge, she was making Amaya dread the job instead. The reaper flailed for a moment, nearly falling backwards off her oar before she righted herself. “No-now hold on! It’s not as bad as all _that._ I mean if things get _too_ rough I’ve got plenty of friends who’d love to help. It’s just that _you_ have been hand chosen by King Yama himself for the job of Spirit Detective, and no one else. If it’s not you then…”

        Botan hesitated as she thought back to her earlier meeting with Yama. She could not see him accepting ‘no’ for an answer after the way he reacted when she objected to the idea of Amaya becoming Spirit Detective. She did not relish making the dark haired girl even more nervous so she decided make the truth a little more _gentle_ for Amaya. “Well, let’s just say that King Yama knows what he’s doing.”

        Seconds stretched on endlessly as Botan watched Amaya consider her words. She silently willed the teenage girl to accept the position of Spirit Detective without resistance or a sense of hopelessness. She did not relish the idea of being the person to tell Yama that Amaya refused or finding out what he would do in response.

        Amaya’s body language practically screamed of her lack of confidence, much to Botan’s dismay. “It can really only be me because I lucked out and killed a demon?”

        “It’s not _just_ because of that,” Botan said. “Your special abilities, intelligence, and past good deeds have all played a part in this decision.” At least, the reaper _hoped_ that was the case. “Remember when you were younger, how you used to talk to ghosts to try and find out why they were still lingering around in Human World? Well, thanks to you, some of them were able to find peace and be escorted to Spirit World without incident.”

        The gloom hanging over Amaya lifted noticeably, replaced with wide-eyed wonder. “Really? I actually managed to help them?”

        The change in attitude gave Botan a surge of hope, allowing her to smile more easily. “That’s right! A couple of them even asked me to thank you for them, er, when it was your time.” She laughed a little in an attempt to hide the awkwardness she felt at the mild faux paus. “Of course, now that you’ve been assigned as Spirit Detective I can tell you right now instead of waiting that long.”

        Amaya touched her chin and her gaze grew distant.

        Botan covered half her face with her sleeves in an attempt to hide just how nervous she felt.

        Amaya took over a minute to speak again. “Do you…” She shifted her attention back to Botan. “Do you really think I could do it? Do you think I can become strong enough stop all the demons from hurting anymore people?”

        Botan felt victorious, though she tried not to let herself show _too_ much enthusiasm. “Of course!” She giggled and threw Amaya a wink. “Just leave it to me. With my help you’ll be saving the world in no time.”

        A smile slowly grew on Amaya’s face as well. “Okay then. I accept. I’ll give it my best.”

        “Glad to hear it,” Botan said. She was unable put into words how relieved she was by Amaya’s answer. She did not have to go back to Yama with bad news and she managed to alleviate the new Spirit Detective’s fears about the position.

        So why did Botan feel so guilty?

* * *

        There was not much more Botan could do during her first meeting with Amaya. They had briefly gone over some of the basics about Spirit World and the power of Territory. Amaya was particularly interested in the latter, as it related to her power to create shields. Although Botan would have liked to move onto the training right away and see the limitations of Amaya’s abilities in person, the dog had grown so restless that it started to howl and would not stop. They had to yell in order to hear each other when they arranged to meet at a more convenient time before they went their separate ways.

        Botan drifted along on her oar far above the streets, watching Amaya struggle with the howling dog. “That went well, all things considered.”

        Amaya met up with a number of girls wearing the same school uniform as her. She handed the leash over to one of the other girls, who was quick to scoop the dog up in a hug, which quieted the dog almost immediately. Botan was curious to hear what they were saying, but they were too far away and the city created too much background noise. The reaper did not dare move closer in order to listen in because she had a feeling she would make the new Spirit Detective even more nervous if she was spotted hovering nearby. She knew she probably should not be doing it, but she could not shake her sense of unease.

        A smooth voice broke into Botan’s gloomy thoughts. “Is there something interesting about those girls?”

        Botan jerked with a cry, instinctively grabbing her oar so that she would not fall off. She turned sharply to see a familiar teenage boy with long red hair standing on the roof of a nearby building. Within moments, her earlier anger towards Kurama came rushing back. “Don’t tell me you’ve already introduced yourself to Amaya _too._ ” She huffed when she saw him raise a questioning eyebrow. “I already know all about that little _deal_ you made with King Yama. Thanks a lot for warning me that Yusuke has been replaced!”

        Kurama observed Botan’s anger a moment more before his gaze traveled down to the cluster of chattering schoolgirls and one noticeably distressed dog. “Actually, I didn’t know anything about that until you just told me.”

        Botan’s anger evaporated in an instant as she gaped at Kurama. “What? But I thought you and King Yama made a deal to help me out with Amaya’s missions in exchange for going back and forth to Demon World!”

        Kurama turned back to Botan. “It’s true that I struck a bargain with King Yama, but I believe the exact terms agreed upon were that I would help with the duties of Spirit Detective as I have in the past, though I would not be allowed to claim the title for my own.”

        Botan’s mouth worked open and closed for a number of moments, but no sound came out. The earlier conversation with Yama replayed in her mind. It occurred to her that perhaps the king chose what Kurama was going to do after they made their agreement. “So, wait… You had no idea about any of this?”

        Kurama observed the girls down below. “I had my suspicions that King Yama would take this course of action.” His sharp green eyes narrowed a fraction. “However, I did not expect him to choose a new Spirit Detective quite so quickly.”

        Botan sighed and cupped her cheek. “I know what you mean. I guess we do need one with Yusuke gone and things, well, you know.” Her shoulders drooped. “I just don’t know how I’m going to break the news to everyone.”

        Kurama’s focus on the group of girls never wavered. At a glance, they seemed to be ordinary teenage girls, but when he focused on their Spirit Energy, one of the girls stood out dramatically. “What can you tell me about this girl?”

        Botan poked her fingers together as she pursed her lips. “I’m not sure, honestly. King Yama swore me to secrecy about the particulars of Amaya’s case file. I suppose since you’re going to be working with her I can tell you some things that you’re going to find out anyway…”

        Kurama looked at Botan sideways. “Such as her ability to flawlessly hide her Spirit Energy?”

        Botan cringed, but quickly tried to cover up the action with a laugh that rang false even to her ears. “Oh, you noticed that too, huh? What am I saying? Of course you did! Nothing slips by you, does it?” She laughed again for a few moments before awkwardly trailing off.

        Kurama found Botan’s reaction interesting, and grew rather curious about the exact contents of the case file. Perhaps he would find a way to acquire it later if he deemed it necessary. “It’s unusual for a human with no prior connection with Spirit World to have such a strong ability. However, judging by what I’ve observed so far, particularly with the way that dog is reacting, her control is _too_ perfect. Animals are much more sensitive than humans, and it would seem that her lack of spiritual presence is highly upsetting to it.”

        Botan fidgeted, words forming halfway on her lips, only for her to stop and make a sound of frustration or anxiousness as she tried desperately to figure out what she could tell Kurama on the subject.

        Kurama turned his head towards Botan, though he kept the girl with no noticeable Spirit Energy in his peripheral vision. “I assume that this ability was a factor in her selection.”

        Botan shrugged, feeling rather helpless under Kurama’s scrutinizing gaze. “It seems as good a guess as any, doesn’t it? I told Amaya that she was picked because she killed a demon, helped some ghosts, and has the power to make shields with her Territory because I _assumed_ all those were factors. To tell you the truth, I have no idea whatsoever _why_ King Yama chose her, and you should’ve seen his face when I tried asking about it! I was worried he was going to start another earthquake or something!”

        Kurama let out a low hum and turned back to watch the street as Amaya separated from the other girls. “So her power allows her to create shields. That could explain it, if she is constantly maintaining a shield powerful enough to block any trace of Spirit Energy from leaking through. The only question is why someone would choose to do that when they are clearly not in hiding.”

        Botan bit her lower lip to hold back anything potentially incriminating. She desperately _wanted_ to tell Kurama everything she knew about Amaya, if only to hear what he thought of the unusual circumstances. Unfortunately, she strongly suspected that Yama would discover it if she did. It seemed as though the king of Spirit World was aware of her secret meetings with Koenma despite their precautions after all.

        Kurama spared Botan a brief glance after it became apparent that the reaper was unwilling to say more. In a way, such a reaction told him a fair amount about this new Spirit Detective. “Do you mind if I have a word with Amaya?”

        The question made Botan almost panic for a moment, but she quickly got herself under control. If Kurama grilled Amaya for information then no one could claim that Botan was disobeying Yama’s orders. “O-of course!” the reaper said, trying to regain some sense of cheer. “In fact, why don’t you meet up with us tomorrow? We’re going to start her training in a vacant lot not too far from here after she gets out from school. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to meet you, especially when she finds out you’re going to help her stop criminals.”

        Kurama gave Botan a wan smile. “Whenever Yomi doesn’t require my presence in Demon World at least.”

        Botan deflated a little. “Oh, right, well, let’s just hope we don’t get any big cases until Amaya gets strong enough to handle them, or until this whole mess in Demon World gets sorted out.”

        Kurama held no illusion that things would go smoothly, or that the impending war between the three kingdoms of Demon World would be remotely easy to resolve. From the look on Botan’s face, he could see that she did not believe it either. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

        Tonight, however, Kurama was going to find out a little bit more about this new Spirit Detective.


	2. Second Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         The new Spirit Detective is left wondering the ramifications of her decisions while Kurama probes deeper for clues. Meanwhile, Botan is starting to reconsider her decision to let the demon fox try to uncover the reason why King Yama chose Amaya in the first place. To top everything off, training doesn't exactly go quite as planned.
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> * * *

        It took longer for Amaya to walk home than usual. Her pace was slow so that she could take in the sights of the city and its inhabitants. The buildings and streets full of people milling about or heading to some destination were intimately familiar, yet now everything seemed to shine in a new light. Each stranger she passed had no idea that only hours ago she had agreed to be responsible for them all.

        Amaya shook her head, her bangs brushing against her cheeks. _No pressure, right?_

        Amaya stopped outside the stone fence surrounding her home. She reached out to the bronze plaque beside the gate, tracing each character of her family name with reverence. After a moment, she took hold of the iron gate, which swung open easily on well oiled hinges. The stone walkway that cut a curved path through the front yard had been redone last year, so there were no cracks to mar it. The yard was well taken care of, covered in neatly trimmed green grass with rounded bushes and colorful flower gardens framing the walls of the three-story house. A lawn care service stopped by every two weeks to maintain the landscaping. She knew from memory that the backyard was even more impressive – she had a lovely view of it from her bedroom along with the park directly behind her home.

        The house itself was a mixture of Eastern and Western influence brought together by a masterful architect. The angles were sharp, as typical in a more modern home, colored in various shades of brown and accented with as many large windows as the architect could get away with. The overhangs between floors created large patios that were accessible through the door-sized windows. There was a garage built into the ground floor, which was somewhat unusual for a house to have in this country, particularly in a densely packed city like Mushiyori. The house and property were larger than what most families owned, even in the more rural areas, and sometimes Amaya’s friends joked that the place was practically a mansion ripped straight from a catalogue. A couple of bikes leaning against the wall near the gate and a number of toys discarded carelessly in the grass spoiled the pristine illusion that the house was made for magazine photographs, but those things helped remind her that she was home.

        For one terrifying moment, Amaya wondered what her home would look like if a demon like Horumon attacked her here rather than at school.

        A shudder rippled through Amaya’s body, and she quickly tried to dispel the image of shattered windows tainted with spatters of blood, the front door split in twain, the pieces littered on the lawn along with bits of the wall and roof, body parts strewn…

        The image shattered when something collided with Amaya’s face. She fell over backwards, her rear hitting the concrete roughly. As she rubbed the growing red marks left on her forehead, nose, and cheeks, she heard a little boy chuckle awkwardly. “Oops. Sorry. Didn’t see you there, Amaya.”

        Amaya peered through her fingers with slightly narrowed eyes, focusing first on the soccer ball that rolled to a stop just short of the front door, then on the boy who was half her height and less than half her age. His t-shirt, open jacket, and jeans were rumpled and stained with dirt and grass. His chubby, cherub-like face was framed by short, messy brown hair that was so fair it bordered on blond. He flashed a sheepish smile that was missing a couple of teeth and opened his large hazel eyes to their widest to make him appear the very picture of innocence.

        For a moment, Amaya almost considered letting the boy charm his way out of trouble. “Yoshihiro, you know you’re not supposed to play soccer in the front yard. Go around back to the park.”

        Yoshihiro’s smile turned into a grimace. “Yeah, but–”

        A young girl’s screech drowned out Yoshihiro’s protest. “Yoshihiro!” From around the side of the house came a girl sporting a faint tan who was a few years Yoshihiro’s senior and stood head and shoulders taller than him. She glared down at the younger boy with narrow dark brown eyes framed by numerous stray strands of ash brown hair that had come loose from the twin braids dangling over her shoulders. She wore a long-sleeved shirt and jeans that were disheveled and dirty from playing outside. “Give me the ball back! I’ve got to practice for tomorrow’s game!”

        Yoshihiro quickly darted behind Amaya, who had finally returned to her feet. “Hey!” he said. “I was just helping you practice for an interception, Emi. No need to get all bent out of shape about it.”

        Amaya sighed as she rubbed her forehead, which still smarted a little from the earlier blow. “Emi, don’t kill your little brother. Yoshihiro, stop teasing your older sister.”

        The two children were quick to point at each other and as they declared forcefully that the other sibling was responsible for the argument. Amaya walked towards the house as she ignored their excuses, which quickly dissolved into slinging insults back and forth, then kicked the soccer ball towards Emi. “Go practice, Emi. Yoshihiro, you go take a bath so Emi can get one when she’s done.”

        Yoshihiro groaned. “Do I _have_ to?”

        “Yes,” Amaya said. She found that simple commands helped her deal with her youngest siblings far more easily than if she attempted to give them long-winded explanations. Ignoring them when they pouted and whined also helped make things more bearable, so she pretended she did not notice the faces Emi and Yoshiro made at each other as they went their separate ways.

        “I’m home,” Amaya said when they entered the house, which was echoed half-heartedly by Yoshihiro. After swapping out her shoes for slippers, her movements slowed so that she could truly appreciate her surroundings. The rooms were bright in part thanks to unobtrusive lights affixed in regular intervals on the high ceiling. The colors of the walls and modern furniture matched from room to room in shades of cream or other pale colors, now stained in hues of orange and pink due to the light from the setting sun streaming in through the windows. Her footsteps made no sound as she made her way to the living room, but Yoshihiro made full advantage of the wooden floor by slapping his bare feet against it while he made his way slowly towards the stairs.

        Amaya shook her head and decided to let Yoshihiro have his small protest. “Try not to take more than an hour. Emi will want a bath before dinner.”

        Yoshihiro exhaled loudly through his nostrils. “I’m going, I’m going. Not like I need one anyway.”

        Amaya tuned out the rest of Yoshihiro’s grumbling as she noticed the faint voice of a young woman. She left her little brother to fume by himself as she followed the sound to the large and professional-looking kitchen. A girl only a few years younger than her leaned against one of the granite countertops with a phone held to her ear while her free hand flipped through the pages of a fashion magazine. The warm colored dress she wore looked like it came straight from the pages of the magazine, and Amaya guessed that it was probably something that appeared in one of the previous issues. The younger girl was thin and petite, which gave her a delicate appearance, and she radiated confidence even when observed in an idle state. She had high cheekbones, flawless ivory skin, and an oval shaped face accented with just the perfect touch of makeup to emphasize her natural beauty.

        When the girl toyed with one of the curls in her short chestnut and gold streaked hair, her copper colored eyes caught sight of Amaya standing in the doorway. A smile graced her sparkly pink painted lips before she waved her hand at the older girl, the bracelets on her wrists jingling, and hastily told her friend to wait for a moment before she placed her hand over the mouthpiece. “Welcome home. Mom is going to be late tonight. Grease fire in the restaurant on the east side.”

        Amaya grimaced. “Was anyone hurt?”

        “A couple of sous-chefs got some burns,” the girl said, “but it sounds like it wasn’t too bad. The kitchen got the worst of it and mom is working on damage control. No idea when she’ll be home. Anyway, she said to order out and eat without her. Does your usual from the okonomiyaki place sound okay?”

        “Sounds good to me,” Amaya said. “Thanks, Ichiko.”

        Ichiko winked then returned to her phone conversation. “Still there? Yeah, I _know_. School uniforms are _so_ important. You don’t want to get stuck in some ugly gray thing for three years.” She paused to glance at Amaya then down at the older girl’s dark gray uniform before she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Uh, no offense.”

        Amaya shrugged. “None taken. I think this uniform is ugly too.”

        Ichiko favored Amaya with a sheepish smile before she returned to her conversation, delving deep into the intricacies of what was fashionable in junior high school uniforms.

        Amaya watched Ichiko for a moment more, silently musing about how her little sister had the luxury to see clothing as such a high priority, and how her other two younger siblings could run around and roughhouse without heavy concerns weighing on their minds. A part of her envied them, while another part of her hoped that she could help ensure that these things would remain their biggest concerns.

        After leaving the kitchen, a deep, masculine voice drew Amaya back towards the entryway. “I’m home!”

        Amaya smiled as she approached the man in the three-piece suit changing out of his polished shoes. “Welcome home, Papa!”

        Her father looked almost nothing like the average Japanese businessman. He was tall, just short of seven feet, and built like a rugby player, which allowed him to easily sweep Amaya off her feet when he hugged her. She laughed as he spun her around once and she kissed one of his chocolate colored cheeks before he set her down. His black eyes twinkled as he smiled widely at her. “So, how’s my little Nightingale? Did anything interesting happen today?”

        Amaya returned her father’s smile with one of her own. “Yes. One of my classmates got a new puppy. It was so cute.”

        Her father’s grin grew wry as he scratched the back of his head, which sported only a fine layer of black hair trimmed close to his scalp in a buzz cut. “Oh really? Try not to mention it around Yoshihiro. You know how he’s been begging for one for over a month now.”

        “I won’t,” Amaya said. “By the way, did Mama call you?”

        Her father nodded and ruffled Amaya’s bangs. “Yeah, but don’t worry about the restaurant.” The two made their way through the house as he continued to talk. “She said everything’s fine. The two cooks that got burned got off light. There’s mostly just some smoke damage and a new counter needs to be installed. She should be home in an hour or so. We can put dinner off until she gets here.” He paused when they reached a large room full of books, shelves, and cabinets that served as his office at home, and then chuckled. “Whether she likes it or not.”

        Amaya laughed lightly along with him. “That sounds good to me. You should tell Ichiko before she calls in the order. She’s in the kitchen right now.”

        Her father set his briefcase on the large oak desk and loosened his tie. “And while I’m doing that, what’ll my little Nightingale be doing? Studying late into the night again?”

        Amaya nodded. “Of course. I have an important entrance exam coming up.”

        “Well,” her father said, “that _is_ important, but what’s more important is not overdoing it. The last thing you want to do is make yourself exhausted and psyche yourself out about the test. Study tonight, but tomorrow I want you to take a break. Make sure you think of anything _but_ studying and just relax, understand?”

        Amaya saw no difficulty in the first part of that suggestion. It was the second part that she knew would be all but impossible to accomplish. “Okay, Papa.”

        It was after her father disappeared around the corner that Amaya felt her somber mood return in full force. That feeling drove her to wander through the house and examine each unoccupied room, memorizing every little detail. She tried not to think that what she was experiencing was the surreal feeling of calm people said always came before a terrible storm. She ended her journey on the third floor in front of her bedroom. She traced the edges of the heart-shaped wooden nameplate bearing her name that hung from her door ever since she first set foot in this house.

        After Amaya stepped into her room, she marveled once more at how so many ordinary things suddenly felt new again and so important. The color scheme of the room was white and powder blue, with intricately designed wallpaper and fluffy throw rugs spaced strategically on the wooden floor. The queen-sized bed had a lacquered white frame supporting a mattress and box springs covered with extra soft blankets and a few large, fluffy stuffed animals. The rest of the furnishings had the same gentle curves as the bed’s framework, and the chairs placed around the desk, table, and vanity had frilled silky cushions that matched her bedspread. The overall theme gave the room a very feminine feel despite the fact that nearly an entire wall was dedicated to a giant shelving unit packed with video game cartridges and systems, along with a large screen television to play them all on. Across from the game area was the door to her walk in closet, filled with clothes and mementos. Just outside it were shelves containing numerous library books she had borrowed to help her studies both with school and the supernatural, though she made sure the books mentioning the latter had their spines facing inward. The far wall across from the door to the hall was made almost entirely of numerous large windows, which could open up to the patio outside. There she had a wonderful view of the park with the city buildings framing countless trees. It was an exquisite experience to stand outside some mornings and watch the sunrise, particularly in the spring.

        Amaya paused review her previous assessment of what she defined as ‘ordinary.’ After recalling the fact that she had seen apartments smaller than her room, she let out a rueful chuckle. “Okay,” she whispered, “so I’m lucky.” Her thoughts drifted to her family and her smile broadened. “Really, really, _unbelievably_ lucky.”

        Amaya just hoped she had not ruined everything by agreeing to save the world from demonic invasion.

        For a while, Amaya managed to distract herself from foreboding thoughts of demons and the fate of the world by focusing on her studies. It did not last as long as she would have liked. Almost against her will, her gaze would shift to the windows with increasing frequency. Even though she had closed the blinds before she changed out of her uniform, it did not erase the feeling that something was lingering and observing her from a distance. She was no stranger to such a sensation, but she could not outright dismiss it in light of recent events.

        The sky was dark when Amaya stepped out onto the balcony. Though there was plenty of illumination thanks to lights out in her yard and the streetlights in the park, such light created countless shadows thanks to the many bushes and trees dotting the landscape. The wind made the shadows shift back and forth, casting the illusion of shapeless things skulking around in the park and behind her home. The effect was particularly unnerving because many trees were without leaves due to the season and the wind turned their bare branches into grasping fingers clawing in the dark.

        The chill in the air encouraged Amaya to rub her arms for warmth while she examined the backyard. There was nothing out of the ordinary, as far as she could see. She hoped Emi remembered to lock the back gate, though Amaya knew that it would not be enough to keep out a demon like the one she fought before. Fortunately, there was no sign of anything with horns, claws, or fangs skulking around in the park – just the occasional person or couple wandering along one of the many paths in the distance. In a strange way, it felt comforting to see them. _If there really is a demon out there then I’d probably hear people screaming… right?_

        It was not exactly a pleasant thought, but Amaya hoped that it would be enough to appease her prickling sense of paranoia until she saw Botan again.

* * *

        Hidden within the branches of a cherry tree that had yet to bloom, Kurama watched Amaya scan the park. He suspected the possibility, however remote, that she might sense his presence despite how he concealed his energy. However, judging by the fact that her gaze swept behind her house and beyond without sparing a glance to the side yard where he had chosen his hiding spot, the demon fox found it more likely that she was merely ill at ease thanks to her new position as Spirit Detective. The way she took the time to examine her home so thoroughly earlier certainly suggested that she had a pressing need to verify that nothing was amiss.

        Movement out of the corner of Kurama’s eye prompted him to divert his attention from Amaya for the moment. From his vantage point, he had a good view of both the front and back of the house. This allowed him to study the woman approaching the front door wearing a cream-colored business suit. She was tall and slim, with sharp features, smoke colored eyes, long auburn hair tied back in a bun, and olive colored skin dotted with freckles. She appeared mostly Asian, though with some possibly Caucasian blood in her family tree, and was anywhere from her late thirties to early forties. He had seen this woman in pictures through the windows of the house, and hearing her announce that she was home after entering the doorway confirmed that it was likely she was Amaya’s mother.

        When Amaya finally gave up on her search and went back inside, Kurama decided he would take his leave as well. Though his observations over the past few hours had uncovered some interesting details, he doubted that he would learn anything interesting with an overnight vigil. He had enough clues about where to probe further for information tomorrow.

        After all, if there was anything Kurama learned from his years of being a thief, it was always wise to ‘case the joint’ before pursuing a valuable secret.

* * *

        The wait was torture for Botan. She had arrived early the vacant lot where she met Amaya the day previous and was unable stand still for more than a minute at a time. She had changed into her human guise and swapped out her pink kimono for a yellow hooded sweatshirt with a chick pattern and a comfortable pair of blue jeans. The large metal attaché briefcase containing the detective tools leaned against the side of one of the numerous buildings that surrounded the eighth of an acre lot on all sides. The lot was out of view of the main street and she had spotted no signs of any humans in any of the nearby windows. Judging by all the garbage littered about amidst the patches of tall grass, and the layers of graffiti on the walls, the place appeared mostly forgotten except by those who would use such an out of the way spot for elicit activities.

        Given that they were in a densely populated city, the location was about as good as they could hope for to do things better left unseen by normal people. Despite this, Botan could not help the small sense of paranoia that gnawed at her relentlessly since she and Kurama parted ways. _I hate this. I’m just no good at keeping big secrets like this. What if King Yama gets upset if Kurama finds out something he shouldn’t? Even if I’m not the one who blabs, King Yama might be expecting me to prevent Amaya from saying anything he doesn’t want her to say. It doesn’t help that I don’t even know exactly what it is he doesn’t want me to talk about._

        Botan groaned and rubbed her head where she felt beginnings of a tension headache. As she smoothed out the lines on her forehead, she exhaled deeply. _Maybe I’m worrying myself over nothing. Kurama is supposed to be working with us, and he can’t exactly do his job properly if he’s kept in the dark, right? Though King Yama did choose not to mention anything about Amaya when they were making that little deal, so…_

        A touch on her shoulder jolted Botan out of her thoughts. She jumped with a cry and jerked backwards, arms over her head, as she turned around. She quickly spotted Amaya, who looked almost as surprised as she was. “Oh! Amaya! You’re here already.”

        “I-I’m sorry,” Amaya said as she lowered her hand. “I didn’t mean to startle you. It was just… you didn’t seem to notice I was here, so…”

        Botan forced a laugh as she relaxed her posture. “N-no, no, don’t apologize. I was just thinking too much. I’m glad that you brought me out of it.” She put on a pretty smile to smooth over the novice Spirit Detective’s concern. “Just think of it as getting even for the scare I gave you yesterday, okay?”

        Amaya nodded, though she was still a little off balance. Now that Botan had a chance to get a better look at the dark haired girl, she was somewhat surprised to see Amaya had taken the time to change out of her uniform given that it could not have been that long since school ended. The white turtleneck sweater, dark blue jacket, and navy cargo pants were ordinary enough, but what drew Botan’s eye was the large black backpack slung over Amaya’s shoulders and the bulging black belt pack the new Spirit Detective wore around her waist.

        Botan felt her curiosity grow enough to chase away most of her lingering worries about secrets and Yama. “What’s all that for?”

        A faint blush blossomed on Amaya’s cheeks. “Well, you said that you wanted to see what I could do, so I brought some things I’ve been using to help me practice. I also brought the books I’ve been studying about demons and barriers and such. I know their information is probably not anywhere near as accurate as yours, but I thought it might make things easier to know if any are worth memorizing whenever we can’t meet.”

        Botan clasped her hands together, her cheer growing more genuine with each passing moment. Seeing Amaya so prepared helped fill the pink-eyed reaper with renewed energy. “Splendid idea! I must say that this is a refreshing change of pace to be training someone who’s so eager to do a good job.”

        Amaya tilted her head slightly. “It is?”

        “Of course!” Botan said. “I can’t tell you how many times I had to drag Yusuke kicking and screaming to…” Her words deteriorated until they were unintelligible once she noticed that her mouth ran away with her. She had not intended to mention Yusuke to Amaya so soon, particularly in a negative context. She laughed quickly to cover up her mistake before the blue-eyed girl could ask about it. “I-I mean, not everyone is quite as studious as you. Every Spirit Detective has their own method of doing things, and the one who had the job before you liked to deal with things as they come.”

        “Oh,” Amaya said. “What was he like?” Worry crept into her features. “Did he quit or did he–”

        “Yusuke is great!” Botan said quickly, talking over the rest of Amaya’s question. “Completely fine. Never been better really. Fit as a fiddle. Stronger than an ox. He’s just, uh, on vacation right now.”

        Amaya was not very convinced by Botan’s response, or the awkward tone in which the reaper spoke. Her gaze turned suspicious as she arched an eyebrow. “Vacation?”

        Botan let out a nervous chuckle as her mind raced for a way to divert the topic to safer areas. “Well, I guess you can’t _really_ call it so much a vacation as visiting, ah, a distant relative of his.”

        Amaya’s brow furrowed. “If he’s on vacation, then why do you need a new Spirit Detective so badly? Am I just a temp until he gets back?”

        Botan failed to make her weak laugh sound as convincingly confident as she intended. “It’s a very _prolonged_ vacation, I’m afraid.” A flash of brilliance hit her as she recalled a tiny tidbit of information she heard about, which helped bring back some of her enthusiasm. “For three years to be exact. After that he’s going to be coming back to get married to his childhood sweetheart.” _Or at least he said he would. Poor Keiko will be heartbroken if Yusuke can’t keep that promise…_

        Amaya was taken aback by such information. A faint flush rose to her cheeks as she fiddled with the edge of her collar. “Oh, so you mean he’s retired so he can get married?” She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply as her expression grew noticeably more relaxed. “For a moment there I was worried that something bad had happened to him.”

        Botan felt a terrible twinge of guilt, but quickly schooled her features, smiling in what she hoped was a convincingly cheery manner when Amaya looked her way again. When she found herself faltering for anything sufficiently encouraging to say about what happened to the previous two Spirit Detectives at the end of their tenure, she decided that a quick change in topic was in order. “Anyway, we can talk about all that later. Right now, we need to be focusing on you and your training. We’ll go ahead and get started as soon as Kurama gets here.”

        Amaya stared at Botan, her eyes widening slightly in confusion and wonder. This was the first she had heard that someone would be joining them. “Who’s Kurama?”

        “Well, he’s…” Botan trailed off as she spotted a splash of red color over Amaya’s shoulder. Kurama’s impeccable sense of timing brought a smile to the aqua haired girl’s face as she pointed towards the boy standing at the mouth of the alley. “He’s right over there.”

        Amaya glanced over her shoulder, gasping when she spotted the teenage boy standing not far behind her, and quickly turned around face Kurama properly. She immediately took note of his more striking features, as well as his crimson school uniform. “H-hello.” She bowed her head slightly. “Pleased to meet you.”

        Kurama favored Amaya with a pleasant smile as he approached the two girls. “The pleasure is all mine, I’m sure.”

        “My name is Amaya Mamori,” Amaya said. Almost as soon as she spoke, she realized a formal introduction was rather redundant. “O-oh, but you probably know that already.” She glanced from Botan to Kurama. “Does everyone from Spirit World have such brightly colored eyes and hair?”

        The question roused some quiet giggles from Botan while Kurama chuckled briefly. “Actually,” the fox demon said, “I’m not from Spirit World. I merely work on their behalf, much like you.”

        Amaya reflexively looked Kurama over a second time with wide eyes. “You mean you’re a human too?” She opened her mouth to express her relief when she noticed something strange about the boy in front of her, though she could not quite put her finger on the feeling. “Aren’t you?”

        Kurama found the girl’s perceptiveness interesting, particularly given what he had observed the night previous. Perhaps she had been aware of his presence to some degree after all. “Not quite. While the body you see before you is that of a human, my truest nature is that of a demon fox.”

        Instantly Amaya jerked backwards, her eyes wide with fright as her voice became a near shriek. “A _demon?_!”

        Botan raised her hands in a placating manner when she saw Amaya retreat from Kurama while scrambling to open her belt pack. “Hold on now!” the reaper said, trying to sound soothing even while raising her voice. “Just take it easy, Amaya. Kurama isn’t just some horrible killer demon like the one who attacked you last week. Kurama is on our side. He would _never_ hurt anyone unless they were a truly _evil_ person who completely deserved it.”

        Amaya shoved her hand into her belt pouch while raising her head. She started to speak when a few colorful marbles slipped through her fingers and scattered across the ground, causing her to gasp instead. Her cheeks blazed bright red when it fully hit her how foolish she must have looked at that moment. “O-oh,” she said in a tiny voice. She pulled her hand out of the bag. “I’m so sorry.” She bowed deeply to Kurama. “Please forgive–”

        The clatter of marbles hitting the ground and grass turned the rest of Amaya’s words into a rather undignified yelp. Such clumsy actions prompted her to babble out something she hoped was an apology or at least an explanation in a futile attempt to save face, but the syllables came together in too incoherent a manner to be called words. She shut her mouth quickly when Botan and Kurama could no longer suppress the urge to laugh, though both were polite enough to hide their mirth behind their hands. Amaya hung her head low, her dark bangs hiding her eyes and burning cheeks, as she crouched to retrieve the fallen marbles.

        Botan coughed in an attempt to stop herself from giggling, though it was a futile effort. She knelt down to assist Amaya in gathering up the marbles. “Here, let me help you with that.”

        Amaya peeked through her bangs at Botan then looked away, focusing her gaze on the ground. She bit her lower lip to fight back the urge to say anything else that might serve to embarrass her further.

        “Come on,” Botan said, “don’t let something like this get to you.” She winked as her lips curled up in a grin that looked more at home on a Cheshire cat’s face. “It’s not all that uncommon for people to lose their marbles over coming face to face with a real live demon, you know.”

        Amaya’s mouth twitched with a faint trace of mirth. She forced it into a smile that failed to be convincing. She struggled to formulate some sort of response, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

        Kurama drew closer to assist the two girls in gathering the marbles. “It’s all right, Amaya. Your reaction is perfectly reasonable given the circumstances. It’s unfortunate that there aren’t many demons who are willing to treat humans as equals.” He smiled at Amaya when he caught the Spirit Detective’s eye, careful to make the expression sympathetic rather than amused. “Please, don’t trouble yourself over a simple misunderstanding.”

        “N-no, it’s my fault,” Amaya said. She grimaced at her words, but tried to make herself keep going. “I… I shouldn’t have expected… I mean, you’re a friend of Botan’s so I shouldn’t have assumed…” She looked away from that gentle smile Kurama gave her, her voice growing faint. “I… can we start over?”

        Kurama chuckled softly as he held out a handful of marbles to Amaya. “Of course.”

        “Thank you,” Amaya said quietly as she accepted the marbles. After tucking them safely in her belt bag, she added the ones Botan had retrieved. It only took the three a few minutes to gather up the rest of the marbles.

        Botan was the first one on her feet. “Now that, that’s taken care of, just what do you have in mind for all those marbles anyway? I’m just dying to know.”

        Amaya straightened up and tucked her bangs behind her ear. She glanced at Kurama, only to quickly focus on her hands when he looked her way. “Um, well, you see, I use them to help me make some of my shields. I don’t really _need_ to use marbles exactly, since all I need are small roundish objects, but marbles are cheap and it’s easy to carry a lot of them around in case I can’t find anything nearby.”

        “Why don’t you go on and show us then,” Botan said. “Go ahead and make a shield around, hmm…” She scanned her gaze around the lot for something large enough to shield from an attack, frowning when she noted that the refuge littering the area were rather small objects. Her expression perked up as her gaze settled on Kurama. “Oh, I know!” She turned to Amaya, beaming. “You should make a shield around Kurama and we’ll see how long it takes him to break free. That’ll be an excellent test for how strong it is.”

        The suggestion momentarily startled Kurama, and the look he gave Botan held a trace of discomfort to it. “I’m afraid I might not be the best person to test Amaya’s abilities if her shields are based off forming a Territory around her target, seeing as I am unable to cleave through dimensions like Kuwabara with his Dimension Sword.”

        Botan blinked then lightly rapped herself on the head while sticking her tongue out. “Oops. I forgot about that.”

        Amaya looked from Botan to Kurama and back, her fingers curled around a number of marbles she carefully drew from her bag. “Should I still make the shield anyway or do you want me to just tell you what I know?”

        “Either way is fine,” Kurama said. “Please choose whatever is easiest.”

        Amaya met Kurama’s eyes for only a second before she diverted her gaze to her feet. Slowly she began to walk around the redhead at an even pace. “Okay, well, the way it works seems to be that I need to draw a circle in order to make a shield. I can do that by just making a circle in front of me with my fingers, or by walking in a circle like this.” She stopped back at where she started in front of him and made a gesture in his direction with her empty hand.

        The familiar sensation of a psychic’s Territory opening up engulfed Kurama as a wall of light blue energy surged over him to form a solid dome. He estimated that the diameter of the shield was a little over three meters, while the top most point of the dome above his head reached approximately two and a half meters. He did not need to attack the shield surrounding him to know that it would be a wasted effort, as he was now standing in a different dimension altogether.

        Amaya shuffled awkwardly, feeling uneasy about the demonstration despite the fact that Kurama appeared perfectly at ease with essentially being imprisoned. “The only problem with that type of shield is that the second I stop imagining that it’s there it disappears.” She closed her eyes for a moment and the shield vanished before she opened them again. “I’ve only been able to make it last longer by making lattice points on the circumference using small items like marbles. I need at least four or it won’t work.”

        Kurama raised his eyebrows slightly after a few seconds of watching Amaya stare hard at her clenched fist. When she opened her hand, the natural colors of the marbles she held were lost in the bright blue glow of Spirit Energy that engulfed each one. “How long have you been able to maintain your Territory so far? Does size play a factor?”

        “I haven’t tried to make my shields very big yet,” Amaya said, “and I haven’t had a chance to keep a shield up long enough that it makes me tired. I just know that without lattice points I’ve only been able to keep focus as long as half an hour so far. With them, I can take breaks for one to ten minutes. The biggest shield I’ve ever created would probably be twice the size of the one I just made, and the longest I’ve made one last is four hours, but I’m sure I could go longer if I had to.”

        Botan beamed. “That’s perfect! All you have to do is use a bunch of those marbles, throw them at the bad guys, and then bam!” She slapped one hand into the other. “You’ve got them locked up and ready to be taken back to Demon World.”

        Amaya blushed faintly. “Actually, I haven’t tried making lattice points by throwing things yet. I just dropped them when I drew the circle so far.”

        “We’ll just have to test that out then,” Botan said. “And if it doesn’t work right away I’m sure we can figure out something with a little bit of practice.”

        Kurama kept his gaze focused on the marbles as the glow of Spirit Energy started to fade. “What other abilities have you been able to uncover so far?”

        Amaya shrugged as she put the marbles back in her belt pack. “The only other supernatural ability I have is that I’ve always been able to see ghosts and demons and stuff like that… Unless you count the fact that I heal pretty quickly and I have a good memory. I can’t think of anything else that might be too useful when dealing with demons.” A flush came to her cheeks as she gave Kurama an apologetic look. “I mean criminals.”

        Botan straightened up. “I guess it’s my turn then.” She snatched up the briefcase and brought it before her companions. “Presenting the very latest in Spirit World technology,” she set the case down and opened it with a flourish, “the Spirit Detective tool kit!”

        Amaya made a small sound of wonder as she stared into the attaché and all the interesting looking gadgets within. Kurama moved closer to get a better look as well. He noticed that while the outside of the metal case remained unchanged, the inside was quite different from when he had last seen it. The built in flat screen covered nearly the entire lid of the briefcase, leaving only a slim strip along the bottom portion for buttons used to control the video feed. In the lower portion of the case, he saw there more tools than before, and those familiar to the fox demon appeared altered to varying degrees.

        Botan felt quite pleased with Amaya’s impressed reaction and sat beside the attaché. “This baby comes fully equipped for all the Spirit Detective’s needs. King Yama himself had each tool modified and upgraded to his specifications with you in mind, Amaya. He even added a few new gadgets that he’s sure will come in handy.”

        Amaya knelt next to Botan, feeling a little overwhelmed. She moved her hand closer, tempted to get a better look at the items, but pulled back at the last moment. “All of these… are for me?”

        “Bingo!” Botan said. “And I’m going to teach you how to effectively use each one so that you’ll be well prepared for your first case.” She tapped her chin as she looked over the contents of the briefcase. “Let’s see… Where to start…”

        Amaya’s curiosity finally overcame her hesitation and she plucked an unusual looking gold ring from the attaché, running her thumb along the seven points that lined one of the edges. “What does this one do? It looks like a little crown…”

        Botan snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the ring. “Of course! I can’t believe I forgot the single most important weapon in the Spirit Detective’s arsenal.”

        Amaya jerked her head towards Botan then examined the ring again with a greater sense of wariness, as though it might suddenly explode at any moment. “This ring is my strongest weapon?”

        Botan giggled as she hopped up onto her feet. “No, Silly, but it does help. That’s the Concentration Ring. When you wear it, it helps you make the most of the Spirit Detective’s signature weapon.” She extended her index finger and thumb, winking as she pantomimed shooting. “The Spirit Gun.”

        Amaya’s gaze returned to the briefcase and she pointed at a colorful plastic ray gun that looked more at home on a toy store shelf than in a demon-hunting detective’s arsenal. “You mean this?”

        Botan waved dismissively. “No, no, no. That’s the Moon Magnum. It’s also a tool designed to work with the Spirit Gun, but it won’t be much use until I teach you how to use it.” She grabbed Amaya by the arm and foisted the dark haired girl to her feet. “Come on, let’s get started then!”

        Amaya yelped, nearly tumbling due to how suddenly Botan pulled her upward, but somehow she managed to maintain her footing. She brushed back the hair from her eyes to get a better look at her guide. “Is there another gun I’m supposed to use or…?”

        “No, no,” Botan said, “nothing like that. Just point your finger over there at…” She hummed as she looked around the lot for a suitable target.

        Kurama decided to speak up rather than risk Botan deciding that he should somehow volunteer for the task like before. “Before I arrived, I noticed that building over there is slated for demolition.” He gestured towards a four-story building that had a large crack on its side and a number of missing bricks. “It does not appear as though anyone is currently inside, so I’m sure no one will mind if you add another hole to the wall.”

        Botan flashed Kurama a grin. “Good eye, Kurama!” She looked back to Amaya. “Okay, Amaya, just point at that building and concentrate all of your Spirit Energy into your fingertip, just like you were doing with the marbles earlier. Once you’ve focused everything you’ve got into it, all you have to do is let it go.”

        Amaya looked from Botan to her finger. The instructions conjured to mind images of her little brother pretending to be a cop or robber with his friends. She shook her head and turned towards her intended target. _Can’t be any sillier than using marbles or an umbrella as a weapon I guess._ She closed her eyes and tried not to think of how both Botan and Kurama were staring at her as she held her arms out in front of her, her left hand grasping the right as though she were a heroine in an action film taking aim at some bad guy. Despite her attempts to reassure herself, she found acting as though her finger was the barrel of a gun to be rather embarrassing.

        It took a few moments for Amaya to find the calm that was necessary to focus her energy into the tip of her right index finger. When she felt it grow warm, she opened her eyes and found her finger glowing, much to her relief. She took a deep breath and replayed Botan’s instructions in her mind to make sure she had it right. The gentle warmth grew more unpleasant with each passing second, as Amaya felt a strange sort of strain that reminded her only abstractly of a pulled muscle. She realized that was the signal to let go in the same moment that she noticed that she forgot to put on the Concentration Ring, which was pressed between both hands. Quickly, she slid the ring onto her finger before she lost hold of the energy completely.

        Botan and Kurama noticed the action a moment too late, though only the reaper was aware of the significance. There had been no time for Botan to shout a warning before Amaya fired the Spirit Gun. A thin strip of brilliant blue tore through the wall at an upward angle with the sound of crumbling stone and shattering glass. The same beam of light streaked through the sky, disappearing into the clouds in the distance. The blast was noticeably different from Yusuke’s normal Spirit Gun shots, especially the ones formed when he was using the Concentration Ring. Normally they were large spheres of energy, at least the size of a fist, and using the ring made them over ten times their usual size. In this case, the release of energy was far more condensed, similar to a laser beam, and the hole it left in the wall could not have been larger than a bottle cap.

        Amaya teetered dangerously, as her legs no longer possessed the energy to support her. Kurama was at her side in an instant, his arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling. She would have blushed if her head had not felt as though someone had just stuffed it full of cotton.

        Kurama set Amaya gently down onto the ground in a sitting position. “Are you all right, Amaya?”

        “Thank you,” Amaya said as she rubbed her forehead. “I think I’m okay. I’m just really tired all of a sudden.” She looked up at Kurama and then at Botan. “Is it always like that?”

        “I’m afraid that’s my fault,” Botan said. “I should’ve warned you that even though using the Concentration Ring will make your Spirit Gun a _lot_ stronger, it’s at the cost of putting virtually all of your Spirit Energy into one big blast. It leaves the wearer completely worn out afterward and it’s meant to be used only as a last resort. I didn’t mean for you to wear the ring while you were practicing the technique, since it’s probably not best to use it during your first time.”

        An embarrassed flush appeared on Amaya’s cheeks as she gave Botan as sheepish smile. “Oops… And here I thought that I messed up your instructions by not wearing it the entire time.”

        Botan exhaled loudly then shrugged. “Oh well, there’s no use crying about it now, I suppose.” She smiled to shake away the lingering gloom hanging in the air. “We’ll just have to continue the training tomorrow when you’ve recovered your Spirit Energy. That should work out better anyway since it’s Saturday, right? We’ll have the whole day to devote to your training!”

        Amaya grimaced as she toyed with her collar. “Actually… I’m going to be busy tomorrow morning. I’ve got an important entrance exam to take.”

        Botan stared blankly at Amaya for a moment. “Entrance exam?” She caught on a second later. “Oh, that’s right. It’s high school entrance exam season.” She recalled the recent lecture Shizuru gave her about disturbing Kuwabara’s studies and let out an ironic chuckle. “How could I forget?”

        “I know a test isn’t as important as preparing to stop the, ah, criminals,” Amaya said, “but tomorrow is the only day I can take the exam, and I don’t want to lose my chance to go to Meio, so…”

        Botan waved a hand as though to dismiss the rest of Amaya’s excuse. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. You just focus on getting some rest and…” Her words tapered off as she did a double take at Amaya. “Wait, did you say Meio?” She looked to Kurama. “Hey, isn’t that the school you go to, Kurama?”

        Amaya expressed her surprise in a wordless noise as she turned to face Kurama so quickly that her head spun faintly. “You go to school too?” She glanced at the school uniform the fox demon wore and her cheeks darkened. “Oh, wait, stupid question. Please forget I asked.”

        Kurama chuckled softly despite how casually Botan brought up his double-life. He had not intended to inform Amaya about his unique circumstances so soon, though he felt it was pointless to go out of his way to hide it. “As I said earlier, I may be a demon, but this body is more or less human, and with it I have a human identity. Should you ever see me at school or among other humans, please be sure to keep in mind that they know me as Shuichi Minamino and not Kurama.”

        Amaya stared at Kurama in wonder, nodding belatedly. “O-of course.”

        Kurama reached out for Amaya’s hand as she tried to stand up. “Would you care for some help?”

        Amaya nodded, her cheeks lightly pink, as she accepted the offered hand. “Thank you, and thanks again for catching me earlier.”

        “Think nothing of it,” Kurama said. “Do you need any help getting back home?”

        Amaya diverted her gaze as he helped her back onto her feet, focusing on keeping her balance rather than on Kurama’s face. After taking an experimental step, she decided that she could afford to let go of the fox demon’s hand without the risk of falling. “No, I think I’ll be okay. Thank you.”

        “Maybe you should leave all that equipment with me for the time being,” Botan said, as she extended her hand to Amaya. “You probably don’t have enough energy to carry it all home, and you’ll need to rest if you want to pass that exam tomorrow.”

        Amaya nodded and gave the Concentration Ring back to Botan. She removed her backpack with only a slight wobble before handing that over as well. “This has all the books I mentioned earlier. I checked them out from the library a few days ago, so I’m going to need them back in about three weeks.

        Though Botan’s strength was above the average human she noticed right away how heavy the bag was. “Wow, this is quite a collection you’ve got in here.” She laughed lightly. “Looks like both of us have a lot of studying to do.”

        Amaya handed her belt bag over to Botan. “How about we meet back here again at the same time tomorrow?”

        Botan gave Amaya a wink and a smile. “It’s a date.”

        After goodbyes were made, and Amaya left without any noticeable trouble, Botan let out a deep sigh. “Well, that could’ve gone worse I guess. Still, I was hoping we could’ve spent a little more time on this.” She glanced over at Kurama, noticing his pensive gaze that lingered on the alley where Amaya disappeared. “What do you think?”

        “Amaya appears to be a good candidate for Spirit Detective,” Kurama said, “and her abilities are rather gifted for someone who has received no formal training. However…”

        Botan felt an unpleasant tension creep up in her muscles. “However what?”

        Kurama slowly turned towards Botan. “Did you notice anything unusual when she used her Spirit Energy?”

        Botan’s gaze turned skyward as she lightly tapped her cheek. “Well, it was strange how her Spirit Gun was so small. Usually the Concentration Ring makes a bigger explosion, not focus it all in one small spot like that, but that’s probably a good thing as long as she learns how to aim with pin-point accuracy. A shot like that could be a nasty surprise for demons with heavy armor.”

        “I suspect that it might have to do with the fact that Amaya’s powers seem to be strengthened and limited by circles and spheres,” Kurama said. He nodded his head towards the building that Amaya damaged earlier. “Given that the Concentration Ring is a circular shape it’s possible that it played a factor in how her Spirit Energy was manifested.”

        Botan’s eyes lit up as she pointed a finger to the sky. “Oh! I see what you mean. The shot was only as wide as the ring is all around, just like her shields are only as big as the circles she draws.” She let out a quiet hum as she moved her finger to her lower lip. “I wonder what would happen if she tried firing her Spirit Gun through something like a basketball hoop.”

        “All joking aside,” Kurama said, “did you happen to notice anything else unusual when Amaya used her Spirit Energy?”

        Botan lightly tapped her foot, her nose scrunching as she thought hard about the question. After a few moments, she gave a small shrug. “Not really, why?”

        Kurama gazed intently at the hole Amaya made as he replayed the moment she fired her Spirit Gun in his mind. “Even when she was using the Concentration Ring, her Spirit Energy was still undetectable.”

        Botan stared at Kurama as though he had grown a second head. “What are you talking about?” She threw her hands up then pointed to the sky, as though the clouds still contained some evidence of Amaya’s energy blast. “That Spirit Gun could be seen for miles!”

        Kurama shook his head slightly. “It’s true that after Amaya fired the Spirit Gun, and even before that when she put her Spirit Energy into the marbles, her energy could be clearly sensed. However, her Spirit Energy was _only_ noticeable after it left her body. Even though we could clearly see her energy while she was charging her shot, I was unable to detect it with any of my other senses. When she unleashed her Spirit Energy into the marbles or the shot, it was as if the energy appeared out of thin air rather than a human. I find it rather strange to think that she is not only able to suppress her energy from being detected even while drawing it out, but that she would choose to continue hiding it while making such an obvious display.”

        Botan opened her mouth, but the response she formulated wavered to the point that it lost all articulation. It took her a few moments for her to think back to the times Amaya manifested her Spirit Energy and consider how accurate Kurama’s assessment was. Ultimately, she decided to trust the fox demon’s judgment. “Okay, that is weird.”

        Kurama watched Botan carefully out of the corner of his eye. “Another thing I find unusual is that Amaya is the only one in her family whose Spirit Energy is hidden. Although there is a possibility that might have something to do with the fact that no one in that house is related by blood.”

        Botan jerked, growing somewhat pale. She rubbed the back of her head and let out a shaky laugh. “O-oh really, you found out about that already? Well, I guess it’s not like it’s some big secret that her parents are the type to adopt orphans rather than have children of their own…” She lightly perspired as her smile twisted into a miserable expression. “Right?”

        Kurama found it unlikely that putting on a smile would bring any comfort to Botan. “I doubt adoption in and of itself is something that Spirit World need be concerned over.”

        Botan tried not to let her relief seem too noticeable as she let out another laugh. “O-of course! Adoption is always a good thing, not some terrible shameful secret that King Yama would get angry about if anyone found out about it, right?” She allowed her nervous giggles to serve as an affirmative answer rather than wait to see if Kurama would agree.

        Kurama patiently waited until Botan regained her composure before he continued. “There’s something else I noticed recently as well.”

        Botan froze, trying not to dread whatever Kurama had to say. “And… and just what is that?”

        Kurama reached out to take the belt bag from Botan and held it close to his face. “Amaya has no scent. Even when we were close enough to touch, I was unable to detect anything, and she has left no trace of a human scent on any of her possessions. Had I not known otherwise, I would not have any reason to think anyone other than you has touched these items recently.”

        The comment struck Botan as so strange she forgot about her fears for the moment. She quickly reminded herself that detecting things by smell was one of the many tools a fox demon like Kurama used. “No scent? How’s that even possible? What does it mean?”

        Kurama lowered the bag and looked in the direction Amaya went, his eyes narrowing a fraction. “I can’t be sure yet, but it would seem that someone has gone through a lot of trouble to make it difficult to locate Amaya Mamori.”

        Botan followed Kurama’s gaze then looked back at the fox demon. Her uneasiness returned as she thought back to Amaya’s case file. “But who would do that? And why? What’s the point of it?”

        Kurama glanced back at Botan, but said nothing. He had no answers.


	3. Third Degree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         While Botan is off in Spirit World receiving new orders from King Yama, Kurama finally has an opportunity to confront Amaya alone. Secrets and new questions are revealed, as well as the events from one week prior, when Amaya was forced to do battle with the evil demon Horumon.
> 
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> * * *

        The meeting with Yama was going well, all things considered, or so Botan told herself while her report on the past couple days with Amaya came to a close. Floating on her oar high above the ground helped make facing the massive king far less stressful than last time. The fact that he did not seem displeased by what she told him helped her nerves even more. “And so Kurama and I are going to be continuing Amaya’s training this afternoon. That ends my report.”

        Seconds ticked by slowly for Botan as she watched Yama stroke his beard. Waiting for the king’s verdict was always one of the most difficult parts of meeting with him. While she was happy that he had not gotten angry, his expression had been as still as stone the entire time, offering her no hint of what he was thinking. Yama did not so much as twitch when Botan slipped in a mention that Kurama observed that Amaya had no scent, and that the Spirit Detective’s Spirit Energy could only be sensed after it left her body. _At least King Yama isn’t angry that Kurama figured out so much about Amaya already._

        Yama exhaled deeply, creating a small breeze that brushed back Botan’s hair. “I see,” he said, a note of disapproval in his voice. “I had hoped that you would have better prepared the new Spirit Detective before her first case by now.”

        Botan felt the stirrings of panic working its way up her spine. “You’re not sending Amaya out to hunt down demons already are you? I barely had time to tell her about the Spirit Gun!”

        Light reflected off the lenses of Yama’s glasses, making it impossible to see his eyes. His voice was almost without emotion, but Botan could imagine an undercurrent of anger behind each word. “You’ve had two days so far. In those two days, how many humans do you think have gone missing in Mushiyori City?”

        A horrible chill seized Botan. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

        “The intelligence division has filtered through this data and has found areas that are likely demon hunting grounds,” Yama said. “You are to take the Spirit Detective to those locations and neutralize these rogue demons before they claim more human lives.”

        Botan swallowed a lump in her throat. “Y-yes King Yama, Sir. I’ll go and tell her right away.”

        “You are dismissed.”

        Botan hesitated despite her eagerness to leave. “Your Majesty, before I go, I’d like to ask for a little clarification on something if I may.”

        The gaze Yama directed at Botan held traces of suspicion. “What is it?”

        Botan straightened up as she gathered her courage. “Since our last talk I’ve been wondering… Just how much am I permitted to tell Kurama about Amaya?” She inwardly winced at her poor phrasing, as last time Yama had explicitly told her not to say anything. “I-I mean I think I _should_ be able to tell him _some_ things, right? I mean he _is_ working with us with your permission after all.”

        Yama’s thoughtful hum rumbled through the throne room. He said nothing for a full minute, gazing off into the distance. “The special circumstances surrounding Kurama’s current status does not change the fact that he is a demon, and has performed countless criminal acts in the past. The fact that Koenma pardoned him for his crimes against Spirit World and Human World does not change this.”

        Botan bit her lower lip.

        “But you have a point,” Yama said. “It would be more beneficial if Kurama were aware of certain things.” Botan felt a surge of hope, which the king squelched with a hard gaze when he focused on her again. “However, it would seem that Kurama has already figured out as much as he needs to know, if your report is as accurate as you say.”

        Botan winced, her eyes turning to the floor. “Oh… So, in that case I should just let Kurama figure things out on his own, right?”

        “That is more than enough to allow Kurama to do his job.”

        An unpleasant silence lingered for half a minute before Botan raised her head again. “What about the others? Genkai and Kuwabara I mean. Genkai could be of _great_ help in training Amaya to be even stronger, and you already gave permission for Kuwabara to help us should he be interested, right?”

        Yama readjusted his glasses. “The level of knowledge Kurama currently possesses is more than sufficient for Genkai to train the Spirit Detective, or for Kuwabara to provide assistance. I see no benefit to exposing top secret information when it will do little to help you with the tasks on hand.”

        In a strange way, Botan felt relieved. Overall Yama’s reaction had been nowhere near as harsh as she feared it might be, even if what he said was not as positive an answer she would have liked. “I understand, King Yama.”

        “And should you be concerned about how much information to relay to my son,” Yama said, “you needn’t worry about it.” He leaned forward, his intense stare boring into Botan as she looked up at him sharply. “I will personally inform him of all that he needs to know upon his return.”

        The words were colder than dry ice, chilling Botan to her core. The implied threat sent her imagination running wild with terrifying possibilities. Numbly, she nodded, unable to speak. She could only silently pray that she was worrying too much about Yama. Hopefully, the worst Koenma would receive upon his return was a long round of spankings.

* * *

        Amaya stretched her arms over her head, mindful of the folding umbrella that dangled from a strap tied to her wrist, as she took a moment to bask in the warm sunlight. She stood on the campus of Meio Private Academy in casual dress, merely one of a few hundred students who had just finished taking a grueling exam. She focused on the hopeful feeling brought by the streaks of light piercing the gray clouds that had stubbornly hung overhead since dawn. The few scattered sunbeams were a far more cheerful sight than the troubled expressions that many of the teenagers around her wore.

        Amaya closed her eyes and breathed deep, taking in the smell of damp grass and earth. _At least it’s all over but the wait. Nothing to worry about but the results…_ The sun disappeared behind the clouds again. _And my new ‘job.’_

        Amaya took her time to walk through the campus towards the gates along with the other hopeful junior high students, feeling no particular need to rush. It was late morning and her next round of training was not until that afternoon. The aftermath of yesterday’s training had left her troubled, despite the fact that she recovered completely by the time she woke up that morning. While she felt lingering concern over how exhausted she had been after firing her Spirit Gun, she found the faint soreness it left in her right hand for an hour afterward to be more troubling. _I should try to avoid using that ring unless it’s an emergency._

        As the crowd thinned around her, Amaya had a better view of the school campus. A plum tree tucked around the back of the administration building caught her eye, as she noticed it was already in full bloom despite being barely the beginning of the season. The beautiful white and pink blossoms tempted her into breaking free from the pack in order to explore the grounds, starting with the tree.

        Now that the entrance exam was out of the way, Amaya had a chance to appreciate how exceptionally pleasant Meio was when compared to her current school. The landscaping was much more attractive at Meio, even without considering the lovely plum tree. The buildings were not dull with chipping bricks like Ugetsu, and from what she saw of the interior – both from during her test and photographs in their brochure – the place was even more impressive inside than it was outside. This private high school had an expanded curriculum aimed for teenagers with above average intelligence, sported state of the art equipment, its students were heavily sought after by a wide array of prestigious colleges, and best of all there was no one else from Ugetsu attending. While there was a chance she might not have noticed someone from her school who had attempted the test without teacher sponsorship, she wanted to hold onto the idea that she would never have to see the people at Ugetsu ever again. _A fresh start… A place where no one knows anything about ‘Morbid Mamori.’ I hope I make it in._

        Amaya let her gaze wander as she strolled her way lazily around campus. She saw students in uniform through some of the classroom windows, but few teachers. Not far away she noticed some teens practicing at the baseball diamond and tennis court. She surmised that due to the entrance exams there were no classes this morning, just club meetings. _I wonder if Kurama is here too._

        The knowledge that a demon attended Meio felt surreal to Amaya, particularly because she was still eager to attend the private academy despite that fact. A guilty part of her was relieved that she and Kurama would not be in the same grade. The misunderstanding from the previous day still made heat rush to her cheeks every time she thought about it, and she was not quite used to the idea that demons had the capacity for good outside of television shows and romance novels. _I guess if I can believe a Grim Reaper chose me to save the world from demonic invasion with the help of my new super dimensional shield and magic gun powers, then I guess it shouldn’t be too hard to accept that supernatural beings that are supposed to be evil aren’t all bad. Maybe he was converted to the good guys’ side somehow? I should ask Botan about it later…_

        Amaya scanned the sports fields through chain link fences as she passed them by, but none of the students running around possessed shockingly red hair. _Do demons even play sports?_ She turned her attention back to the main building, focusing on the students that flittered in and out of view through the windows. _Should I be looking for him? He’s trying to blend in, so maybe it’d be weird for him if I suddenly pop in… But it’d rude not to say hi if he’s here, right? It’s not like I’m going around screaming that there’s a demon running around in the school…_

        A small shudder rippled through Amaya’s body as memories of her encounter with Horumon flashed through her mind. She rubbed her arms to alleviate the sudden chill that encompassed her when she recalled just how close to death she had come.

         _Can demons **really** be good?_ The question kicked Amaya’s imagination into overdrive, painting an image of Kurama performing the same violent acts as Horumon, only with Meio as the site of the carnage rather than Ugetsu. She could hear her own desperate screams echoing through the empty hallways as the demon pursued her, covered in human blood, taunting her with promises of what he would do once he caught her.

        Amaya’s expression twisted in displeasure before she slapped her cheeks with both hands smartly. She flinched at the impact, and then cringed as her umbrella swung up to smack her jaw. She rubbed her chin as she instinctively looked around for any sign that someone might have seen what just happened, her cheeks pink from more than just the impact of her palms. She only felt marginally relieved by the fact that she did not spy anyone in the immediate vicinity.

        The sight of pink and white blossoms hanging in a plum tree up ahead served as something pleasant for Amaya to focus on instead of conjured images involving blood, death, and evil demons. She slowed to a halt, growing chagrined when she realized that she had been so lost in her thoughts that she wound up back behind the administration building. She shook her head, half to clear her mind of chaotic thoughts, and half out of disgust for how she let her imagination get so grossly carried away. _Kurama has been nothing but nice and polite since I met him, plus he’s a friend of Botan’s and he’s helping me so I won’t get killed if… **when** I have to fight again. Just because he’s a demon doesn’t mean he’s **evil**. Demons can’t help being born demons anymore than a human can help being born being able to see ghosts and demons, right?_

        Amaya sighed as she brushed back the thick bangs that fell over her face and looked towards the sky through the branches of the plum tree. _I’m such a hypocrite. I feel like I should find Kurama just so I can apologize again._

        The wind gently toyed with Amaya’s hair and plucked petals free from the plum blossoms, causing the petals to drift down around her like snow. She tried to clear her mind as she breathed in the scent of flowers and surveyed the peaceful schoolyard between scattered petals. She clenched her fist around the handle of her umbrella before holding it above her heart. _No way. I’ve had enough being pathetic. I’m sick of constantly apologizing This is my brand new start. No more Morbid Mamori. No more driving myself crazy with worry that a ghost or a demon is going to pop up and hurt someone unless I do something that winds up getting me in trouble or humiliated. The world is depending on me to be better than this, and I have a **good** demon and a Grim Reaper on my side to help me learn how to be strong._

        Amaya thrust her umbrella upwards, pointing the tip towards the high branches of the tree. _I swear by this plum tree that if I get into Meio I will find a way to have a normal life and be a good… no, **great** Spirit Detective. If Kurama can be a demon while fighting demons and can still attend this place like any other teenager, then so can I. I swear, I’m going to be the most normal girl this school has ever seen and make lots of friends!_

        In that moment, the sky appeared brighter and the sun felt warmer on Amaya’s skin as she felt awash with self-confidence. For the span of a heartbeat, she felt sure that she could keep her resolution.

        The pleasant feeling disappeared completely after the moment ended, when Amaya heard someone call her name in an inquisitive manner from directly behind her, and she realized that she was standing in a silly pose. She failed to stifle a yelp as she whipped around so quickly that her bound hair lightly slapped her cheek before it hung over her shoulder like a cloak. Her pinked cheeks turned red when she saw Kurama standing less than a meter away from her. From the look on his face, she deduced that she had startled him with her reaction, but not as much as he surprised her.

        Kurama recovered far more quickly than the new Spirit Detective, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

        “K-Kura–” Amaya almost bit her tongue when she remembered that she was not supposed to use his real name at Meio. “I-I mean Shuichi.” Her cheeks burned hotter as she realized that using Kurama’s first name could suggest a familiarity with him that he might not appreciate. “Er, no, wait, I mean Mr. Minamino… Ah, I mean _Upperclassman_ Minamino…” She winced before her voice dipped lower, almost to a whisper. “Wait, I should only call you that if I make it in, shouldn’t I?”

        A breathy chuckle from Kurama brought Amaya’s rambling to a stop. “Shuichi is fine.” He smiled a little more to help put the flustered girl at ease. “Would you mind if I called you by your first name as well?”

        Amaya tried to will away the heat from her cheeks as she brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “N-no, I don’t mind.”

        “I noticed you walking around campus,” Kurama said. He gestured towards the upper windows of the main building to indicate where he was when he spotted her. “Are you looking for something?”

        “Yes,” Amaya said, then flinched at her automatic response. “Sort of. I mean… I was taking a look around, and, well, I was wondering if I should stop by and see you since I was here already.”

        “I’m glad you did,” Kurama said.

        Amaya blinked before her eyes widened a fraction. “You are?”

        Kurama’s smile grew more charming. “Since we’re going to be working together, I believe that it would benefit us both if we got to know each other better.”

        Amaya fidgeted with her choker. “Oh, right. Of course.” She glanced around, and though no one else seemed to be nearby, she felt slightly ill at ease. “Maybe we should go someplace where your classmates won’t hear us talking.”

        Kurama nodded and allowed Amaya to lead the way as they left the school grounds. He could not have created a more perfect opportunity to privately learn more about the Spirit Detective had he arranged it himself. Now all he had to do was consider the right questions to ask without raising Amaya’s suspicions. Reading her body language was child’s play, but the inability to detect changes in her scent or Spirit Energy was a hindrance, as both helped indicate more subtle changes in mood. She was nervous, that much was obvious. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell if the reason why she blushed so much was mere embarrassment as a result of her actions, or the early signs of a growing infatuation towards him. Given his experience with teenage girls, he would not have been surprised if it was the latter, despite the initial misunderstanding from their first meeting. If she were developing a crush on him, it would be that much easier to learn more about her, including whatever secrets lay in her file that Yama did not want him to know about. However, exploiting such emotions was blatant cruelty. He had no reason to treat her as he might an enemy and, despite the threat of war in Demon World looming on the horizon, such measures were unnecessary at this time.

        Once Kurama could no longer sense any humans within earshot, he decided to resume their conversation. “Is there anything you wanted to ask me?”

        Amaya stopped dead in her tracks and glanced back at Kurama. She turned, toying with the charm attached to her choker, as he came to a halt in front of her. At first, she was unable to articulate a response, half forming words before changing her mind about using them. Finally, she breathed in deep to help clear her mind and forced herself to look up into the fox demon’s eyes, refusing to psyche herself out. “I do have a few questions, but some of them might be a bit, ah, personal. You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to, alright?”

        Kurama nodded. “That sounds fair. Feel free to do the same when it’s my turn to ask.”

        “Okay,” Amaya said. She went silent for few moments to choose her first question with care. “You said earlier that your body was human. Well, I’ve seen demons in human form before, but they always have something weird about them, like transparent fangs or horns no one else can see.” She illustrated her comment by holding up her index fingers up against her head to pantomime horns. She quickly lowered her hands when she realized such a visual was unnecessary. “I don’t see anything like that on you. In fact… if you hadn’t said anything I wouldn’t have thought you were a demon at all. You just feel a little different from a normal person.”

        Kurama cocked his head ever so slightly, his curiosity piqued by the vague description. “Different? In what way?”

        “I don’t know how to describe it,” Amaya said. “It’s not like what I feel when I see a ghost or other demons. It’s just…” Her voice tapered off on an awkward note before she gave the redhead a helpless shrug.

        Kurama tucked that bit of information away for later. He would address such a distinction again when Amaya had more training in how to use her spiritual awareness. “Most demons aren’t born with a human appearance, so in order to blend in with humans they need to disguise or transform themselves. Lower class demons typically don’t have enough power to completely hide their true nature from those with a high level of spiritual awareness.”

        Amaya’s eyes widened. “So you’re a high class demon?”

        “Yes,” Kurama said, “but that’s not why I have a human body.” He felt a faint note of nostalgia as he recalled the first time he had a chance to talk with Yusuke alone, and how he told the former Spirit Detective of his unique circumstances. Of course, his reasons for telling Yusuke of something so personal were noticeably more dire than leverage to coax information from someone. “Originally, I was a yoko, a spirit fox that became a demon after living hundreds of years. I made sport of breaking codes and disarming seals and locks. Stealing ancient treasures in particular was my most favored sport. However, sixteen years ago I made a careless mistake and was badly injured by a powerful hunter. I would have died had I not spent the last of my power to go to Human World with only a spirit body and possessed a human woman, allowing me to be reborn as her son, Shuichi. I originally intended to stay for ten years, just long enough to recover my demonic powers, then vanish without a trace.”

        Amaya stared at Kurama, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. He waited patiently for her to comment, but eventually decided that she required some prompting first. “Does that upset you?”

        An embarrassed flush bloomed on Amaya’s cheeks when she realized that she had been rudely gawking at Kurama. “No! No… Just, I guess I wasn’t expecting you to be so… upfront about all that.” She gave a small, awkward smile. “Not a lot of people would admit they used to be a thief or that they’ve possessed people… or been pretty much killed and had to be reborn.”

        A nervous chuckle escaped Amaya, as she desperately thought of how to make up for being so impolite and somehow lighten the mood a bit. She recalled her earlier fear that the fox demon was a potential killer and felt her mortification increase slightly. The longer she tried to think of something to say, the more tense she became, until finally she forced out the first semi-decent thought she could create. “Though that is a lot better than you saying you used to go around killing people and that you tried to kill the old Spirit Detective but wound up having a change of heart because he was so charismatic or because he showed you of the power of love or something like that.”

        Kurama chuckled, as he was no stranger to such stories. He had seen such things happen in person. Hiei’s change in attitude towards Yusuke was one of the first of many former enemies who became allies of the previous Spirit Detective. “Perhaps, but that first part has happened to a few people I know. Yusuke had quite an effect on people. As for the power of love…” His amused smile turned a touch more wistful as he imagined his mother Shiori’s kindly face smiling at him. “I suppose I must admit that love was what convinced me to remain in Human World as Shuichi Minamino, though it was not Yusuke who convinced me that love exists.”

        “It was your mother, right?”

        The question felt the same as an electric shock to Kurama, his surprise evident on his face, as he looked at Amaya in a more critical light. “Yes, that’s right,” he said slowly. “How did you know?”

        Amaya fairly beamed at Kurama, both relieved and thrilled by her correct assumption. “Lucky guess.” Her posture grew more at ease, the earlier embarrassment fading thanks to the warmth of cherished memories. “My mother was the first one to show me that love exists too. She was the first person to really look at me as if I existed, as if I had some worth as a human being. She and my father took me in when I was nothing, no one. They gave me a name, a home, and all the love I could ever ask for…”

        Kurama gave Amaya a moment more to reminisce before he redirected her focus. “Took you in?”

        “I’m adopted,” Amaya said. A beat later, she felt a familiar sense of anxiousness that came whenever she informed anyone of that fact. She knew that it was unlikely Kurama would judge her harshly as others had done in the past, given his own circumstances, but she could not resist the need to search his expression for any sign of disapproval. She felt quite silly when all she saw was open curiosity, and silently chastised herself before she told her story. “I was probably somewhere around four years old when I first met my mother, though I can’t say for sure how old I was. I went into her restaurant, the Gold Phoenix, to escape a terrible storm and get some food. She said she took one look at me and it broke her heart. I was skin and bones, completely filthy, and wearing rags I stole or found in the trash.” The corner of her mouth tugged upwards into a lopsided smile as she let out a humorless chuckle. “So I guess you’re not the only one who used to be a thief.”

        Kurama’s look was one of sympathy. “I take it something happened to separate you from your original family.”

        Amaya rolled her shoulders back as she shook her head, her bangs falling across her face. “I really have no idea. I don’t remember much of anything before I met my mother… Just wandering the streets and being no one.”

        Amaya combed back her bangs with a smile filled with self-depreciating humor. “Actually, I expected to be thrown out of the restaurant like every other place I went to, but my mother invited me in, gave me a big meal, and just… talked to me.” Her smile slowly grew more genuine. “She didn’t see through me like I wasn’t even there like everyone else did. When she found out I had no family or any idea who I was, she took me home with her. She and my father decided to adopt me. They both gave me a name, and even a birthday.” Her eyes grew distant and fond. “The day my adoption was made official they threw me a huge party and made it my fifth birthday, and so many of my new relatives came to welcome me into the family. It was the happiest day of my life.”

        The warm smile Kurama gave Amaya was genuine. “That sounds wonderful. I’m happy that you were so fortunate as to find such a loving home.”

        Amaya’s expression was dreamy, as she remained immersed in pleasant memories of her family. “Yeah, I am… And because of me, Mama and Papa decided to adopt other children who needed homes too, so I have two little sisters and a younger brother. We’re all very happy.”

        “Are they aware of your supernatural abilities?”

        It was as if Kurama had thrown a bucket of ice water on Amaya. Her body tensed so quickly that her muscles twitched and her expression contorted into an unpleasant grimace. “Kind of…,” she said slowly. “My mother and father don’t believe in the supernatural, so they thought I was just playing pretend when I was little and, um…” She hesitated for a moment, her hand swaying back and forth in front of her in a meaningless gesture. “When I got older I decided to stop talking about it so I wouldn’t worry them.”

        Kurama felt certain that was more to the issue than Amaya was willing to let on. Tempted though he was to probe deeper on the topic, he knew it was best to put her more at ease about the subject first. The trick was coming up with a way to accomplish such a task. “I see.”

        Amaya did her best to erase the distasteful expression from her face. “What about you? Have you ever told your mother that you’re demon?”

        “No,” Kurama said, “and I never intend to.”

        The fact that Kurama answered without the slightest bit of hesitation with an underlining edge to his voice made Amaya feel discomfited. It seemed that the subject was an unpleasant one for both of them to consider. “Yeah… I guess I’d be scared to know how my parents would react if I told them I was a demon… or fighting them.”

        Kurama did not want to discuss the matter further. If there was something important to be learned from the full reason why Amaya did not wish to discuss the supernatural with her parents, he would find out about it later, when the subject did not skirt too closely to his concerns towards Shiori. There were plenty of other questions for him to ask the Spirit Detective. “Do you ever wonder about your birth parents? Perhaps they had a similar ability to sense the supernatural.”

        Amaya’s brow scrunched up as her eyes drifted towards the heavens. “Not… really?” She looked back at Kurama as she traced where her choker met her neck. “I know it’s weird, but I can’t say I honestly care about knowing who I was before. I have my mother, father, sisters, and brother. I don’t really feel like I need anything more than that.”

        “I don’t think it’s strange at all to feel content with your life as it is,” Kurama said. Though he meant his words, it still struck him as unusual that Amaya held neither concern nor curiosity towards the blank spot of her past. If anything, she appeared to find the idea unpleasant, given her vaguely nauseated expression.

        “I know it seems kind of suspicious that I don’t remember anything before I met my family,” Amaya said. “Or about why I have the ability to see ghosts or demons to begin with…” Her words tapered off as a rogue thought came to her, eliciting an amused giggle that she stifled with her hand. “Actually, now that I think of it, this feels like the plot to a video game or TV show.” She stretched her arms out in front of her, meeting her index fingers with the thumbs of her opposite hand to form a rectangle that she centered on Kurama. She lowered her voice in her best attempt to imitate movie trailer narrators, though it made her words sound more gravelly than dramatic. “The story begins with our hero, a girl with a missing past and mysterious supernatural abilities, being charged with saving the world after defeating an evil menace using the new powers that conveniently appeared at the last second to save her life. Now the past she has forgotten is coming back to turn her world upside-down and…” Her words tapered off when she noticed the amused smile the demon fox sent her way. She quickly lowered her hands and coughed to clear her throat, trying to will away her faint blush. “Or something like that.”

        Kurama felt he had a fair understanding of Amaya’s personality by now, at least when she stopped acting so self-conscious. It was something of a relief to know that she was self-aware enough to realize that the circumstances of her past were suspicious, even if she did not wish to dwell on them. “I suppose that set up does sound familiar.”

        “Anyway,” Amaya said, “I’m more focused on the present and the future than I am on the past. How about you?”

        “I feel the same,” Kurama said before he let out a rueful chuckle. “Though I’ve found that often the past comes back to haunt you whether you wish it or not.” He noticed Amaya’s inquisitive look and cut off whatever question she was planning to ask. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

        Amaya rubbed the red line on wrist that had formed beneath the plastic strap of her umbrella. “I guess that’s what happens after living for centuries, huh? What about your life now as Shuichi? Do you like being a human?”

        Kurama smiled, pleased to be asked a question that was easy to answer. “Yes, very much. I intend to do everything in my power to preserve my life as Shuichi Minamino and live here in Human World peacefully.”

        “Me too,” Amaya said. She extended her right index finger and thumb as she considered the fact that it was her task to ensure that both their lives would remain peaceful. “You knew the previous Spirit Detective right?” She glanced back up at Kurama’s face. “Could you tell me about him? I mean… how did he handle the job?”

        Kurama rubbed his chin as a quiet hum rumbled in his throat. There was so much he could say about Yusuke that it was hard to summarize the former Spirit Detective with just a few words. It was not difficult to deduce why Amaya would ask about him. “Yusuke Urameshi is one of the most unique humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. His strength and courage are matched only by his noble spirit. Were he the type to hesitate to act on his sense of what is right, I doubt I would be alive today.”

        “Really?” Amaya felt her stomach twist in knots as Kurama nodded. She thought back to her encounter with Horumon and the strength the demon possessed. If he was a low-level demon and Kurama was a high-level one, yet Yusuke was strong enough to save Kurama’s life… “So he was good at fighting, right?”

        It was painfully easy for Kurama to deduce that Amaya was feeling overwhelmed by Yusuke’s legacy. “Yes, though I’m sure much of his fighting instincts were initially cumulated over his years of getting into street brawls with his peers.” He was pleased to see the shock snap the Spirit Detective out of her gloomy thoughts, causing her to stare at him with wide eyes instead. “Yusuke has his flaws, just like everyone else. You need not worry about comparing yourself to him. Just trust your instincts. I’m sure that will be more than enough to make you a fine Spirit Detective.”

        Despite the confidence Kurama displayed, Amaya had a hard time returning the feeling. “You really think so?” She watched the fox demon nod before her gaze dropped to her right hand. She rubbed the area that ached after she fired the Spirit Gun, wondering if it really would get easier over time.

        Kurama considered the gesture and hazarded to guess its significance. “Are you concerned about what happened yesterday?”

        Amaya flinched faintly, proving Kurama’s supposition to be accurate. “A little, but, well…” She exhaled loudly, her shoulders slumping. “I don’t mean to complain or be ungrateful, but I just don’t understand why someone like _me_ is the best candidate for Spirit Detective. Yusuke was a fighter even before he became detective, right?” She made a sweeping gesture to her side, causing the umbrella to swing upwards and slap her wrist. She winced but otherwise ignored the small sting of pain. “There has to be thousands of people who know how to fight demons already… People who really _are_ like the heroes in video games or TV shows, who don’t hesitate to charge into things. Someone like me who runs away and can only make shields is supposed to stay back and protect the weak while the real heroes fight, right?”

        Briefly, Kurama wished Botan were present. Although the Grim Reaper would have complicated matters, she was much better suited to give pep talks than he was. “As I said before, you should not compare yourself to Yusuke or any other Spirit Detective that has come before you. Though I can imagine that being given such responsibility while so woefully unprepared must be a terrible burden, I’m sure King Yama did not select you for the task for frivolous reasons.”

        The corners of Amaya’s mouth raised in what looked more like a grimace than a grin. “Because I defeated Horumon, right?” The faux smile slipped away. “I only managed to kill him because I got _insanely_ lucky. I might’ve saved Fukui because I killed that de… murderer on accident, but if I just figured out how to make shields sooner, then Mr. Abe…” The black haired girl forced herself to stop, as she realized that she was going on a tirade. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and counted backwards from ten, her hand on her forehead, before she let out her captive breath in a deep sigh. “But I’m sure you already know all about that, right?” She peeked through her fingers at Kurama. “Just what about me running for my life seemed like I’m anything but lucky to have survived at all?”

        “I’m afraid I wouldn’t know,” Kurama said. “The recording of that battle appears to be privileged information that I lack the clearance to access.”

        For a moment, all Amaya could do was stare at Kurama. “Wait… So you didn’t even know what I could do before we met yesterday?”

        “Correct.” Kurama said nothing further, waiting to see what Amaya would do with this knowledge.

        Amaya had assumed that because Botan and Kurama were friends and working together, it meant that they both must have known everything about her. Apparently, she had been mistaken. She recalled her first meeting with Botan, and how the reaper said that the file Spirit World had compiled about her was classified, with only Botan and Yama allowed access to its contents. The Spirit Detective felt a bit sheepish for not realizing this sooner, particularly before she embarrassed herself by complaining to someone who had no idea what she was talking about.

        The situation bothered Amaya too much to concentrate on considering how she could discreetly change the topic. She wondered if she should ask Botan why Kurama was not privy to such information, then realized the obvious answer – it was a matter of privacy. Just because the king of Spirit World and her guide knew more than she felt comfortable with, that did not mean that they would give out information to everyone that might work with her.

        The question became then whether Amaya should tell Kurama or let the subject drop. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she _wanted_ to tell him about what happened. Since the incident, a part of her had been dying to talk it through with _someone_ who would not treat her as though she was a liar or crazy. Decision made, she took the time to choose her words with care, speaking in a halting voice. “I guess… I could tell you what happened. If you want to hear it I mean.”

        Kurama downplayed his curiosity and gave Amaya a faint smile in the hopes of better coaxing her into giving him the information he sought. “If you wouldn’t mind telling me.”

        Amaya breathed deep as she recalled the terrible memories that had haunted her. “It happened over a week ago… the day before everything returned to normal.”

* * *

        Something was wrong with the world or Amaya Mamori. It started with a thickening in the air that drew insects out of season. They were not ordinary bugs. These creatures were transparent, like ghosts, with bodies deformed beyond anything found in the natural world. By the time the sky was locked in an eternal sunset, the city was completely infested, but no one else noticed the insects even if their body was covered in a writhing mass of twitching, crawling bugs.

        Wards meant to protect against demons, which Amaya learned to create from one of her books on the supernatural, kept the alien insects at bay. She wrote the protective symbols on the inside of clothing tags to protect her family, disguised talismans written on small strips of paper with cloth covers to make them look like good luck charms for exams to aid her friends, and hid far more protective talismans among her possessions and throughout her home. The strange insects avoided the talismans as though repelled, and when touched by the charms, energy shaped like small bolts of blue lightning would strike the bugs, bursting them apart violently before their remains disappeared into nothing.

        Unfortunately, the protective talismans did not spare Amaya from watching the infestation grow worse with each passing day. Every class was torture, forcing her to sit still, regardless of how witnessing the insects cling and creep across the bodies of her classmates and teachers made her skin crawl. Ignoring something that was everywhere was impossible. She tried to make class more bearable with her talismans, but only her friends – who did not share the same homeroom with her – would accept her charms, and those she hid in the classroom were swiftly found by her peers and thrown away.

        Everything came to a head on the day one of the insects crawled into a classmate’s mouth during lunch. Amaya had been too slow to warn the victim and was unable to come up with an explanation for why she shouted while jumping up from her desk so quickly that she knocked over the chair with a clatter, drawing everyone’s attention. It was all she could do not to throw up after seeing the disgusting creature be willingly consumed by an unsuspecting victim.

        At the opposite end of the room near the door, Izumi Fukui, a short, thin girl with long luxurious black hair highlighted with streaks of pink, red, and purple, stared at Amaya as if the blue-eyed girl were a sideshow attraction. Every other student wore similar expressions on their faces, but they were not caught in a fit of subtle, uncontrollable twitching like Izumi. She was a pretty girl, but her beauty was tarnished as her eyes turned from brown to a bright, glowing red and the color disappeared from her skin before it shifted to a noxious pale blue. She let out a nasal laugh once the transformation was complete. “What’s wrong, Morbid Mamori?” Her voice, normally high-pitched, had a gravelly undercurrent to it that worsened Amaya’s nausea. “Did you see a _ghost_?”

        Laughter bubbled up from the rest of the class, followed by whispers that echoed the insulting moniker. Amaya ignored them, focusing completely on Izumi. The now red-eyed girl rose unsteadily, her body faintly shuddering with each small movement. Everyone overlooked Izumi’s behavior, even when she picked up a knife from her lunch, holding the blade the wrong way. Their gazes were away from her, directed exclusively towards Morbid Mamori.

        Amaya took deep gulps of air as she tried to get her nausea under control. The urge to come up with an excuse to deflect the attention of her classmates faded as adrenaline flooded her system. The way Izumi looked, moved, and sounded held a sense of wrongness that reminded Amaya of the uncanny valley. The fact that Izumi seemed more like an animated corpse paled in comparison to a far more intangible feeling that made Amaya’s senses scream of the danger. It was if Izumi now radiated malevolence, the promise of pain and death oozing from every pore of her altered body. The horror that Izumi had been transformed into something inhuman by one of the ghostly insects barely had time to sink in before Amaya saw the possessed girl raise the knife up above a classmate’s head and realized what Izumi, or rather the insect, intended to do.

        Amaya screamed as she lunged for Izumi, toppling over desks and chairs to make it across the classroom to reach the possessed girl in time. “Look out!” She grabbed Izumi’s arm just as the blue-skinned girl brought the knife down. The blade nicked Amaya’s school uniform, slicing a thin line through the material, as the surprisingly intense force of Izumi’s swing nearly sent Amaya to her knees. The talisman hidden within the charm tied to Amaya’s wrist crackled and shot miniature bolts of energy into Izumi’s face, making the red-eyed girl shriek and stagger back. Izumi dropped the knife and toppled back onto her chair before crashing to the floor, slipping from Amaya’s grip. The blue of Izumi’s skin faded in seconds, along with the red from her eyes, as she coughed up smoke and the burnt remains of the insect that had entered her before it disappeared into nothing.

        With the threat over, Amaya noticed how quiet the classroom had become. Everyone was gawking at her. She could feel their stares burning into her back. She was painfully aware how it must have appeared to eyes that witnessed only her actions and nothing of Izumi’s possession. She dared to turn around, seeking out some small sign that anyone might have noticed something odd about Izumi’s behavior, but there was no friendly face to be found among the sea of accusing eyes. The only explanation she could think to give was weak. “There… there was a bug.”

        No one believed her. Amaya did not expect them to. The teachers were disappointed in her behavior, but lenient only due to her excellent grades and attendance. The faculty was willing to write off the incident as a result of being overwhelmed by stress brought upon by rigorous studying for entrance exams. She had to suffer through a stern lecture about what constituted as proper behavior for a student of Ugetsu Junior High, deliver a formal apology to Izumi in front of the entire class, and thoroughly clean the mess she made in the classroom, both after lunch and when classes ended for the day.

        Cleaning the entire classroom alone took Amaya hours. Izumi and her friends had taken it upon themselves to make her task even more difficult before they left by “accidentally” spilling paint they supposedly borrowed from the art club all over a few desks and the floor after the teacher departed for the day. The group of girls did not even bother to hide their giggles when they left. By the time Amaya finished, her fingers itched from the cleaner and reeked of chemicals and artificial lemon.

        As much as Amaya hated to be stuck in the classroom, she lingered after her punishment was finished. She leaned against the windows overlooking the back of the school and turned her eyes skyward. The black clouds that blocked out the sun appeared to ooze red light like blood, and rumbled with lightning that never touched ground. Towards the horizon, instead of the sunset, shadows shaped like grasping hands reached blindly towards the heavens, radiating a golden light. These hands appeared as the sun began to set, disappearing when the red-tinged sunlight came back with the dawn. At night, the hands were silhouettes of black against a starless night, only visible by the strange light that surrounded them.

        “I can’t live like this,” Amaya whispered as she closed her eyes. Reality had changed, growing increasingly terrifying by the day. Everyone around her had noticed her escalation in anxiety, but not the reason why. None of them had the slightest suspicion that anything was wrong with the world. The worst part was that she could not tell them the reason for her distress. They would never believe her. Being the only person who could see, hear, and even feel strange things no one else could… Was that not the very definition of insanity? “What am I going to do?”

        Amaya wiped away the dampness from her eyes, only to make her eyes sting and tear up even more due to the cleaner fumes that clung to her fingers. As she furiously wiped at her face with the ribbon hanging from her collar, she suddenly felt glad she was likely the last one left in the entire building. If any of her classmates saw her sniffling so miserably, they would have jumped at the chance to taunt and laugh at her.

        When her eyes were clear again, Amaya looked back outside, seeking answers that she doubted would ever come. Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look down to see two people near one of the windows two floors below. Anger flowed hot through her veins like magma when she instantly recognized one of them as Izumi. The other person was a tall man with brown hair gelled into spikes who wore a leather jacket covered in belts, a matching set of pants, and a pair of dark shades. Even without the cliché bad biker outfit to tip her off, Amaya felt certain that this man was trouble.

        Amaya had no intention of finding out what the pair intended to do by breaking into the school after hours, yet she found herself hesitating to grab her school bag and race for the front doors. Something about the man’s appearance bothered her. To her growing horror, it dawned on her that the man’s hair was not spiky – he had horns sticking out of his head. She covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. _A demon!_

        Before Amaya could back away from the window, the demon tilted his head upwards in her direction. He lowered his shades and winked one glowing red eye at her before gesturing at her with one crooked finger.

        Amaya pushed herself away from the glass and out of the demon’s view, heart pounding, as a million thoughts raced through her mind at lightning speed. The demon knew she was there. Why was Izumi with him? Were they working together? If they could not pry open a window, they were likely to break one in order to get inside. Did Izumi bring the demon here because of Amaya? Did this have anything to do with the insect possessing Izumi earlier? Was Izumi working with demons now because of that insect and was bringing one to kill her?

        Amaya slapped her cheeks repeatedly in an effort to put a halt to her chaotic thought process. _Get a grip on yourself! You killed that bug and Fukui’s skin isn’t blue anymore. Fukui can’t see demons, ghosts, and crap like that. She can’t know he’s a demon. He must look like some biker from a bar to her. She doesn’t know she’s in danger._

        The knowledge weighed on Amaya, feeling akin to a lump of iron in her stomach. Izumi was the last person in the world who would believe anything Amaya told her. Even if there was someone left in the building at this hour that did not hate Amaya, she doubted that person would believe in demons either. Calling the police was pointless for that very reason, and they likely would arrive too late even if she came up with a convincing excuse that did not involve mentioning killer demons. If she ran downstairs to save Izumi, she would just be exposing herself to danger. The demon could kill Amaya, and if she survived, she would likely get into further trouble, maybe even arrested for assault if Izumi was injured.

        Amaya fled for the stairs, bag clutched tightly with both hands. In her mind she replayed memories of every nasty trick and name Izumi inflicted upon her. Izumi had tripped Amaya down these very stairs on three separate occasions. It was because of Izumi that the entire school called Amaya “Morbid Mamori,” among other things. Izumi was the culprit behind the lies about Amaya scrawled on the bathroom walls. Izumi stole from Amaya’s bag, put nasty surprises in Amaya’s locker and lunches, and wrote vile insults on Amaya’s desk at least twice a week. Izumi had gone as far as attempting to convince the faculty to expel Amaya from school due to the very rumors she started. More unforgivably, Izumi made it her mission to ruin Amaya’s friendships with slander and succeeded more than once. Izumi ensured that being nice to “Morbid Mamori” was akin to social suicide at Ugetsu Junior High. Amaya had little doubt that Izumi would leave her to die at the hands of a demon and laugh at her funeral because she was stupid enough to come save the girl whose mission in life was to make her completely miserable.

        Despite knowing all this, Amaya still found herself on the ground floor, racing not for the front doors, but the classroom she saw Izumi and the demon trying to break into. As much as Amaya hated Izumi, as well as she knew that she was setting herself up for something terrible, she was also absolutely certain that she would never forgive herself if she simply stood by and allowed someone to die, even if that person was Izumi. _I’m so stupid! I’m going to get myself killed!_

        Amaya flung the classroom’s sliding door open as quickly as she could, practically throwing it off the rails as it clattered hard against the wall. “ _Fukui_!” The excuse she invented to convince Izumi to leave with her fled her mind as the thick air of the classroom hit her full in the face. A pungent musk assaulted her sense of smell, sending her reeling back. She found the scent hard to describe, yet strangely familiar. In the second it took to identify what it was, she noticed the state of Izumi and the demon. Her jaw went slack.

        Izumi moaned as she lay on the teacher’s desk, arching upwards into the demonic biker’s hands. Her clothes were mostly scattered across the floor, with only her underwear left to spare any sense of modesty she had left. She did not notice Amaya’s interruption, her eyes glazed as she stared off into space, her expression skewed in rapture that was visible to the blue-eyed girl despite the distance between them and the dim lighting of the classroom.

        The illicit scene was the last thing Amaya expected to see when she confronted Izumi and the demon. She stood frozen, fighting her instinctive urge to flee from the demon and the scandalous moment he and Izumi shared, as she struggled to cope with this unforeseen turn of events.

        The demon ran his long tongue along Izumi’s face. His tongue grew in length with each passing moment, slithering down her shoulder like a snake. He looked up at Amaya and curved his mouth upward in an unnaturally rubbery smile, flashing white teeth that might have appeared perfectly even had there not been a transparent overlay of much longer and more deadly looking teeth on top of it. He rolled his tongue back into his mouth so that he could speak in a throaty purr. “Join us, Little Girl. There’s always room for one more.”

        The smell grew stronger and with it Amaya’s discomfort. The room felt far too stuffy and warm, the thick air rolling out into the hallway through the doorway in waves, as if the musk had a life of its own and was attempting to ensnare her as well. Maybe that strange air was why it was suddenly so hard for her to think, rather than simply the shock of seeing Izumi cavorting with a demon. She knew that she had to do something quickly before the demon did something far worse than… apparently have consensual, if sickening, relations with Izumi.

        Somehow, Amaya managed to force herself to speak, though her voice kept cracking. “F… Fukui. C-come he-here.”

        The demon extended his finger towards Amaya. “No, _you_ come _. Here_.” When he drew his finger back, Amaya felt as though something hooked itself into her midsection and forced her forward two steps. The talisman on her wrist sparked and struck the thin line of red energy that Amaya failed to notice earlier, severing the connection it had to her stomach. The demon frowned and rose up, removing his hands from Izumi’s body despite the enraptured girl’s complaints.

        When Amaya saw the demon turn towards her, she gave up fighting the urge to flee and ran from the classroom as fast as she could go. She fumbled through her bag to find her cell phone. Her reasons for not using it to call the police seemed infinitely foolish as she ran from the perverted demon. It did not matter if she had no idea how to get the police down to the school in a hurry or to take the threat seriously. She needed help and she needed it _now._

        Amaya scooped out her phone and began to dial when she collided with someone emerging from the teacher’s lounge. She fell to the ground and hit her shoulder hard while her bag and cell phone skidded across the floor in separate directions.

        The man Amaya ran into merely staggered back a couple steps, despite his advanced age, thanks to his excessive girth. He readjusted the displaced black toupee on his head then straightened the lapel of his tweed jacket as he gave Amaya a reproachful look. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know the school is closed to students at this hour?”

        Amaya lunged for her fallen cell phone, which rested just behind the man, but he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her upward onto her feet. She recognized him one of the school’s history teachers – Nobusuke Abe. “Police! Call the police!”

        Nobusuke frowned at Amaya, but did not let go even when she struggled to grab her cell phone. “The police? What for?”

        Amaya practically bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming in hysterics that a demon was after her. She fumbled for something, anything that she might say to get him to believe her that they were in serious danger, and surprised herself when she came up with the answer almost immediately. “There’s a rapist after me! He’s got Fukui! We have to get out of here and call the police!”

        A spray of red blinded Amaya. She covered her face and fumbled back, escaping Nobusuke’s grip as it finally went slack. The heel of her shoe skidded across something slick and she fell hard onto her back, stunning her for a moment as the wind rushed out of her chest. Once she regained her wits, she swabbed viciously at her eyes to clear them, only to regret her action a moment later. A scream tore from her throat when she saw Nobusuke’s head resting beside her right arm, while his body lay sprawled to her left.

        The demon, who she would later know as Horumon, stood not far behind Amaya. He clucked his tongue and wagged his fingers at her. Claws stretched out from the tips of each finger, each the size and shape of a rapier, and dripping with a fresh coat of blood. “Naughty, naughty, Little Girl. You shouldn’t call people names if you expect them to treat you nice. Now I’ll have to punish you for being so _naughty._ ”

        Amaya could feel another scream building at the back of her throat as she scrabbled away from Nobusuke’s corpse and the growing pool of blood. Her eyes darted around to relocate her cell phone, but she quickly gave it up for lost as Horumon drew ever closer. She clamored to her feet, nearly tumbling over herself in her haste to flee the demon, who further mocked her by pursuing her at a leisurely pace.

        Horumon let out a derisive snort as he watched Amaya’s frantic movements. “ _What?_ What kind of self-respecting Japanese schoolgirl wears _shorts_ underneath her skirt? That just totally kills the fantasy.”

        For a brief instant, Amaya thought of a retort she could make involving modesty and boys with cameras, but the words would not form. Fear stole her voice and drove her on to run from Horumon without daring to look back.

        Horumon’s mocking laughter echoed unnaturally off the walls, the sound ringing in Amaya’s ears. “Let’s take care of that, shall we? Come on back to me, Little Girl. I promise we’ll all have a _real_ good time.”

        Amaya tried to tune out Horumon’s voice and focused all her energy on reaching the rear exit, which was the closest way out of the building. She did not slow down as she drove her elbow into the door to force it open, only to collide hard against it instead. She staggered back due to the jolt of pain that shot from her elbow to her hand and shoulder, cradling her damaged arm. Hysteria hit her as she realized the rear exit was locked for the night, nearly causing her to forget that she did not need a key to unlock it. She reached for the lock, but a sudden flash of movement forced her to draw her hand back quickly before five long and deadly claws raked against the door, destroying the locking mechanism so that the door would no longer open. She turned, knowing that she would find the demon looming over her with a repugnant smirk plastered on his face.

        “Now then,” Horomon said. “Where were we?” There was less than an arm’s length separating him from Amaya, but she knew that could change at any time. His gaze roved across her body as if he were trying to devour her with just his eyes, focusing primarily on her chest. “Down south might be a disappointment, but up north you know what a man wants. You must have drunk a lot of milk to get a nice pair like that. I’ll bet the boys around here can’t get enough of them.”

        Amaya burned from anger, shame, and something she refused to contemplate. Despite the sharp horns, fangs, and claws, Horumon was a demon whose affinity was sex. His human appearance was masculine and handsome, and he had a velvet voice to attract women. However, Amaya knew it was not these features that drew his prey, but the pungent scent of sex that oozed from every pore. She realized that pheromones, likely supernaturally enhanced, were the reason why his presence made it difficult to think, even to run away. She squeezed her injured elbow as hard as she could, focusing on the pain to keep her grounded, as she sought some means of escape before all hope was lost.

        “Seems a shame to cover them up like that,” Horumon said. A quick swipe of a single claw split her blouse and the ribbon down the middle, stopping just short of her crossed arms, to expose her cleavage and the top of her bra.

        Amaya acted part on instinct and part from quick thinking. She cupped the talisman in her palm and slapped it across Horumon’s face, aiming for his eyes. He did not block her blow, likely assuming that the attack would be ineffective, only to howl in agony as the energy of the protective charm seared his flesh.

        Amaya did not stop to see how much damage the talisman caused. The second after she struck, she was running, ducking under Horumon’s arms to avoid his terrible claws, and racing for the main entrance. She avoided the puddle of blood as best she could before hopping over what she forced herself to think of debris while praying she would not fall again. A rumbling started back the way she came, hitting her as the roar of an inhuman beast that rattled her bones as she reached the entryway.

        The exit was just in sight when a shriek of metal to her right set off every instinctive alarm Amaya had, pushing her to dive for the entrance just before the lockers came crashing down around her. She hit the floor hard, skidding to a stop against the front doors, and saw all of the lockers sliced neatly in twain, their upper halves scattered apart everywhere along with countless shoes and other knickknacks students kept squirreled away inside the lockers. Horumon stood at the center of the carnage, the left half of his face black, centered on the burnt ruin of his eye. The murderous expression that distorted his face to unnatural proportions filled Amaya with more fear than the realization that, had she not dodged his attack, his claws would have diced the upper half of her body into various sized pieces like the lockers.

        “I’m through playing nice,” Horumon said. All of the allure and innuendo were gone from his words, leaving behind a rough voice that sounded as though he was speaking through a throat filled with gravel. “I’m going to make you scream.” He spread his claws apart like a fan. “And bleed.” He stepped on one of the lockers, crushing it flat beneath his boot. “And beg.”

        Amaya groped for purchase as she tried to get to her feet before Horumon’s next attack. One hand clutched at the door while another snatched up a fallen umbrella, which she used to push herself up quickly. The demon waited for her to be standing again before lashing out with his foot, kicking her in the stomach and sending her hurtling backwards out through the doors. It was a small mercy for Amaya that the front entrance was still unlocked when she flew through it, but the momentum carried her to the stone stairs on the other side. The edges of each step dug into her with every collision, as she tumbled to the ground.

        Amaya had only a vague sense of the passage of time, as she lay unmoving on the concrete path at the base of the stairs. Somehow, she managed to keep hold of the umbrella, though it did little to shield her from the repeated impacts. Everything hurt. Her mouth was full of liquid that tasted like copper, which she spat onto the ground between ragged breaths.

        Twisted laughter reminded Amaya of the immediate danger, and somehow she forced herself to roll onto her side. She tried to use the umbrella to prop her body up but Horumon stomped his boot on her back, knocking the air from her lungs as he crushed her against the ground with force that was just short of cracking her ribs. Her chest strained to take in air, each breath sending a fresh wave of agony through her battered body.

        “You know,” Horumon said, his tone casual despite the harshness of his voice, “I like you. I do. Oh, not your personality. Of course not. That needs a little work. I like your jugs. I’m sure I could do great things with them… after a little more _tenderizing._ ” He raised his foot and delivered a swift kick to Amaya’s side, sending her painfully rolling off the path and into the grass. His mocking laughter followed her.

        A dark haze clouded Amaya’s mind that had nothing to do with Horumon’s supernaturally enhanced pheromones. Instinctively she wanted to retreat from the torment her body was suffering due to the repeated injuries, but she knew that if she did then she would die a slow and agonizing death at the hands of a demon. She focused on the protective talisman, which had some point became sandwiched between her hand and the hilt of the umbrella. The talisman hurt Horumon, significantly damaged him. It was her only hope.

        Amaya recalled the passages of the book she read to make the talisman. Will would make the protective charm stronger, the book said. If she could focus enough to will the talisman to become a mighty shield to protect her from another attack, then maybe she would survive.

        Horumon approached with measured steps, drawing out the suffering of his prey. “You know, I’m not such a bad guy. Really. If you beg me sweetly enough, then maybe I’ll treat you real nice, like your friend. I promise you’ll feel really good before I’m through.” His laughter was cruel, proving his words nothing more than lies.

        Amaya acted without thinking when Horumon’s hand reached for her, opening the umbrella with the press of a button to form a makeshift barrier between them. She did not expect it to last longer than a nanosecond against the demon’s strength and sharp claws. However, the rubber tips glowed a brilliant blue and crackled with energy that spread to reach the other points, forming a circle that expanded into a light blue dome that covered the entirety of the umbrella. When Horumon’s hand came down, the umbrella fell from Amaya’s hand, but it remained undamaged thanks to the shield encasing it.

        Horumon stared at the barrier that separated him from his prey, too startled by its presence to do much else. “What the hell?”

        Amaya forced her body to move, knowing she had only one chance to retaliate. She snatched up the umbrella and thrust it in Horumon’s face to both distract and prevent him from seeing her movements. She drew back her hand that clutched the charm in a death grip, and then threw it forward with all her might at the only vulnerable spot within reach, praying that the talisman would cause the same amount of damage there that the charm did to his face despite her fingers and his pants preventing direct contact.

        The scream that erupted from Horumon was deafening and high-pitched as Amaya’s fist struck home between his legs. The talisman, powered by her will and Spirit Energy, created far more damage than a mere impact, which sent the demon to his knees. Instinctively he reached down to protect the damaged area, striking the umbrella and knocking it and the girl who held it in a death grip back.

        Tragically, Horumon forgot to retract his claws before clutching his crotch.

        Despite everything Amaya suffered, a thin laugh tinged with hysteria escaped her when she saw the damage Horumon inflicted upon himself. Her inappropriate giggles did not last long, breaking off into harsh coughs that reminded her that she was still trapped in the midst of a life and death struggle.

        Now that Horumon was on the ground, Amaya had the opportunity to strike. She brought the umbrella down around his head, closing it as best she could while he was still stunned. To her relief, the shield altered its shape along with the umbrella, changing from a half circle to a more oval shape. She risked removing the charm from her wrist and tied it around the demon’s neck tightly, praying that between the shield covering his head and the talisman bound tightly to his throat that he might be unable to breathe and thus choke to death.

        A wildly lashing claw forced Amaya to throw herself backwards, away from Horumon, though not unscathed. The tip of one of the claws drew a line of pain along the side of her neck, adding more blood to her uniform to join the stains made earlier from Nobusuke’s death. She pressed her hand against the wound to staunch the blood loss as she crawled backwards, away from the thrashing, shrieking demon.

        The shield did not change shape, though logic indicated that it should have opened up easily to allow Horumon to escape. The tips remained closely together, drawing a glowing ring at the edge of the dome that was too small for him to move his head through. The end of the shield just barely covered where Amaya tied the charm to his throat, preventing him from removing it as it charred his skin and filled the air with a repugnant smell of burnt, spoiled meat stored inside of a filthy restroom.

        As Amaya watched Horumon howl and attack the shield in a desperate effort to shatter it, she mused that his actions were very foolish. If the barrier disappeared then there would be nothing to shield his head from his claws. The result would be much like the self-inflicted wound to his crotch. A part of her wished for it to happen.

        The light of the shield disappeared and Amaya heard a sound that reminded her of skewering fruit for kabobs, accompanied by the cracking noise of both umbrella and bone breaking. Horumon’s body twitched, but they were small, involuntary movements. He would never move his body again thanks to the claws buried deeply through the umbrella and its contents.

        Everything was silent and still, save for Amaya’s labored breathing. At first, she did not know how to deal with what just happened. The demon that attacked her, who tried to rape and kill her, was dead. He died in the exact way she wished. She half expected him to suddenly jump up and reveal that it was all a cruel joke, or that he would suddenly come back to life despite the perforations to his brain, and attack her like a monster from a horror movie. It was possible that he was waiting for the second she turned her back on him.

        Amaya spent much of her remaining strength to stand, hunched and unsteady. Somehow, she managed to walk without her feet collapsing underneath her. _God… please… please just let it all be over._

        Unthinkingly, Amaya’s eyes turned heavenward, and for the first time in days, she saw the stars. The sky was finally clear again of both clouds and insects.

* * *

        Amaya paused to take in a breath then let it out slowly. “I didn’t want to go back and look for my cell phone with Mr. Abe’s body there, so I found a phone booth and called an ambulance. I played up that I was in shock about the whole thing and just told the police that a male assailant attacked the school with a bladed weapon.” She rubbed her throat where the claw had sliced her, which lay hidden beneath her choker. The wound was gone, but the memory lingered.

        Amaya cleared her throat before continuing, as she was not used to talking for so long. “The news talked about it as if Horumon was just some deranged psychopath with a katana who committed suicide after attacking two unnamed students and killing a teacher. I have no idea how much they could really see of what happened.” The corner of her mouth twisted, as though she tasted something unpleasant. “Fukui was so spaced out from that gas attack he used that she didn’t remember anything. I don’t know what she told the police, but when classes started up again, she made up a bunch of nonsense about what happened that was based off of a lot of different movies, which always ended with her being the one to convince ‘Mr. Samurai’ to commit ritual suicide to preserve his honor or hers, depending on the telling.”

        Judging by the expression Amaya wore, Kurama suspected that the tales Izumi wove did not paint the Spirit Detective in a positive light. “That sounds like quite an ordeal,” he said, his tone sympathetic. “I can understand why you would feel reluctant to fight again after coming so close to death.”

        Amaya tucked her arms against her chest and nodded. “I know King Yama chose me to be Spirit Detective… I know that pretty much means I’m destined to be a great warrior for good or something like that… but if I didn’t make that charm… If I didn’t discover the power of Territory… If I didn’t luck out over and over again that night, I wouldn’t be a fighter or a detective – I’d just be _dead!_ ”

        “But you survived,” Kurama said gently. “Luck plays a part in all our lives, and between that and your quick thinking, you managed to save two lives that day. You shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the significance of what you did.”

        Amaya brushed her hand across her face then raked back her bangs as she considered Kurama’s words. “Sorry,” she said, her voice quiet. “I shouldn’t be complaining to you like this. We barely know each other and I’m just dumping all this drama on you.” She managed a weak smile. “I guess this is just really the first chance I’ve had to talk to _anyone_ about that night or just, well, anything supernatural… without being afraid that they’ll think I’m completely insane.”

        “It’s quite alright,” Kurama said. “I can understand the frustration of being unable to discuss certain matters with anyone, particularly a subject of pressing importance.”

        Amaya smiled more easily as Kurama did. “Thank you for listening, and for being so understanding. You really are such a great guy.”

        Though Kurama was no stranger to flattery, he enjoyed it all the same, and chuckled softly. He only felt the faintest traces of guilt that his interest in listening to Amaya talk about herself was not for her sake, but because he needed information Yama was determined he not uncover. Such an emotion was easy to dismiss in light of the circumstances. “Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far.”

        “I would,” Amaya said, “and did.” She took a step forward, her eyes determined and her smile bright. “I’m really glad to have met you, and Botan.” Her expression faltered faintly. “I’ll admit I’m scared about fighting demons again, and I don’t know why King Yama thinks I’m the right person…” She managed to strengthen her smile. “But I’m very happy that I’m not alone anymore.”

        The direction their conversation had taken was a touch more personal than Kurama intended it to go, but it benefitted him in a number of ways to have Amaya be more at ease in his presence. “You needn’t worry. Given what you’ve told me, I’m sure that all you need is experience in order to improve your skills. I’m sure you’ll fulfill King Yama’s expectations perfectly.”

        Amaya felt hesitant to believe Kurama’s words, but her worries did not erase the smile on her face this time. “You think so?”

        “Of course,” Kurama said.

        Amaya sighed and closed her eyes, her posture growing relaxed, as she held her hand over her heart. “Wow… I can’t believe how relieved I’m feeling right now.” Her voice held an undercurrent of laughter as she looked to Kurama again. “I guess I really needed to get all that off my chest.” Her smile broadened. “I promise, I’ll do my best, and try to believe in myself like you, Botan, and King Yama believe in me.”

        “I’m glad I could be of assistance,” Kurama said. “I’m sure they’ll be pleased to hear that as well.” He took the agreeable silence they shared as an opportunity to evaluate the conversation thus far. Amaya was rather forthcoming about everything, likely due to the repression she faced towards her spiritual side for so long. Now that he had earned what seemed to be no small amount of trust, he had the opportunity to probe more deeply. He simply needed to choose what to ask next, and which questions were best left for a later time, so as not to ruin everything by causing the dark haired girl to grow suspicious of his intentions.

        The opportunity vanished before Kurama could make his decision, as he sensed the presence of a familiar energy approaching their location rapidly. He looked towards the sky as Botan flew towards them on her oar at top speed. Upon her approach, he saw the worried look on her face, and all the warmth of his conversation with Amaya and plans of prying for further information faded.

        Amaya noticed Kurama’s sudden inattention and followed his gaze to find what he was looking at. Her eyes widened as she spotted Botan seconds before the reaper landed lightly in front of them. “Botan! Good afternoon.”

        Botan grimaced and made her oar disappear with the flick of her wrist. “Not so good I’m afraid. It seems we’ve already got a case on our hands. Demons are snatching up people in various parts of the city and we need to stop them before anyone else gets taken.”

        Amaya felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. For a moment, she remembered the story she just finished telling to Kurama, and instinctively glanced at the redhead, who met her gaze briefly.

        “We can take care of them,” Kurama said as much to Amaya as he did to Botan.

        Amaya steeled her nerves, reminding herself that she now had people who truly believed in her, including in the parts of her that she had once been frightened to show. She was not alone anymore. She was going to be a better person, a stronger person, because this too was her brand new start. She needed to step up and be the hero that everyone was depending on her to become. “R-right.”

        Amaya turned her gaze back to Botan and did her best to feel as confident as she somehow made her voice sound. “Let’s go.”


	4. Shield Maiden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         It's time for Botan to lead the new Spirit Detective group on their first mission to a heart of a demon hunting grounds. Amaya must prove that she is ready to help save Mushiyori from demonic invasion, in spite of lingering doubts. With someone as powerful as Kurama, D class demons don't stand a chance.
> 
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> * * *

        It took a couple hours for Amaya, Botan, and Kurama to arrive at the demon hunting grounds. The place was nestled between the industrial and commercial districts of Mushiyori. Tall radio towers and billowing smoke stacks loomed over densely packed warehouses that bolstered signs advertising space for rent at affordable prices. From the main streets, the area did not seem particularly ominous – the buildings were relatively new, well over fifty cars sat in lots or on the street, and there were at least a dozen ordinary people spotted going about their business.

        Finding an area rife with demonic activity, yet still occupied by workers ignorantly going about their business, was a mixed blessing at best. It suggested that the demons had not yet grown so brazen that everyone who entered the location became their prey. Unfortunately, the presence of normal humans forced the small group of supposedly ordinary teenagers to take care not to arouse suspicion as they discreetly made their way towards the proposed area that was at the heart of the disappearances in this section of the city. With every alleyway they traversed, the buildings appeared to grow older, less well maintained, with fewer innocent bystanders wandering about.

        Amaya kept silent during the majority of the trip, her mind churning with a multitude of questions and troubled thoughts of what they might face. She did not wish to complain anymore or wonder why fate chose this role for her to play, but concerns remained that expanded beyond that worry. Finally, upon noticing that the area seemed deserted of other humans, she gathered to nerve to ask one of the questions that had been gnawing at the back of her mind. “I was wondering… if this place we’re going to is the center of all the recent disappearances lately, won’t we have to worry about the police? They should’ve noticed the pattern too.”

        Botan lightly scratched her finger along the edge of her jaw as she hummed softly, considering her answer. “Human disappearances have been pretty spread out across the city as far as the police are concerned. Most of the people who have gone missing in this area are the types who don’t really have anyone who would report them as a missing person, like homeless people, runaways, and people who use more deserted areas like this for shady activities.” For a moment, the Grim Reaper felt a small swell of pride. “Unlike the police, Spirit World treats every single life as important and keeps track of everyone, regardless of who they are. Plus, unlike the police, we can ask the victims themselves what happened to them after they’ve been mur–”

        Botan slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized she said a little too much. The last thing any of them needed to think about right now was how many people died thanks to the recent increase in the local demon population. She knew that the reminder certainly churned her stomach. Despite the uneasy moment she created, she tried to regain her cheer and flashed Amaya a strained smile. “W-well, anyway, you don’t need to worry about any of that. We’ll be in and out in no time and we’ve got people in Spirit World who will take care of anything strange that gets left behind, so ordinary humans won’t get suspicious.”

        Amaya tried not to think about the hasty shift in Botan’s explanation, using it to remind herself how vital it was that she be Spirit Detective before moving on. “That’s what happened with Horumon, right? Spirit World covered up that he was a demon.”

        “Bingo,” Botan said lightly.

        Kurama waited until it was apparent that the girls had finished their conversation before he addressed Botan. “What can you tell us about the demons we’ll be facing?”

        Botan’s mouth contorted somewhere between an uneasy smile and a grimace. “Not too much I’m afraid. Seems most of the victims don’t really remember what happened to them, and those that remember anything didn’t get a good look at the demon that killed them except that whatever it is it’s loud, comes at you from out of nowhere, and has really sharp teeth.”

        Amaya rubbed her arms to alleviate a sudden chill that made her muscles twitch faintly. She could deduce why murder victims would distinctly remember that the demon that killed them had sharp teeth.

        Kurama’s green eyes were drawn by Amaya’s faint trembling, but only for a moment before he regarded both of his companions. “We’ll need to stay alert and expect an attack to happen at any time.” The girls nodded silently, Botan’s expression more convincingly resolute than Amaya’s.

        The conversation slipped away, allowing the group to lapse once more into a troubled silence. It was nearly twenty minutes later – over a good ten minutes since they last saw another person – that Botan brought the group to an abrupt stop, nearly causing Amaya to collide with her from behind. The Grim Reaper turned to her companions with a severe look and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Okay, this should be close to the center of the disappearances.” She focused her gaze specifically on the Spirit Detective. “Got the Psychic Spyglass ready?”

        Amaya stared at Botan, her face blank with incomprehension. “The what?”

        Botan’s expression virtually mirrored Amaya’s before her cheeks changed to a more rosy hue. She rubbed the back of her head beneath her ponytail as she recalled yesterday’s incomplete training session. “Oops. I guess I forgot I didn’t tell you about that didn’t I?” Hastily she summoned the briefcase that contained the detective tools from the same subspace she stored her oar, and rooted through it for the item in question. She pulled out what appeared to be a rather ordinary pair of glasses with large lenses surrounded by a thin black frame. “Ta da!”

        Amaya gingerly accepted the glasses and slowly turned them over in her hand, looking at them from every angle to verify that they appeared perfectly ordinary. She had been expecting something called a Psychic Spyglass to look like a detective’s magnifying glass or a small telescope, but felt it too impolite to say aloud.

        Botan practically radiated excitement despite their current circumstances. “I really should’ve given you this little beauty right away, especially since it’s been improved so much over the old monocle model. With just a little bit of your Spirit Energy the Psychic Spyglass will let you see through walls, clothes, and just about anything really. It’s even got some extra features the older model didn’t have, like letting you see in the dark and drastically reducing blinding glare so that the bad guys can’t surprise you with a flash bomb or something.” She leaned over to tap the bridge between the lenses. “There’s even a small switch right here that’ll let you turn off the looking through walls feature so you could use it in combat without being distracted by constantly having to look at what’s underneath the enemy’s clothes.”

        Amaya raised her eyebrows, appraising the rather inconspicuous detective’s tool in a new light. “That’s amazing! It’s like having instant x-ray vision.”

        “It also helps you see things more clearly even in the worst weather,” Botan said. “So not even fog can hide demons from you. It’s also completely inconspicuous and so stylish to boot, don’t you think? It’s really–”

        Kurama cleared his throat, interrupting Botan’s explanation while drawing the attention of the two girls. “It might be best to continue this topic later, preferably under more favorable circumstances.” He paused significantly before focusing his gaze on Botan. “Unless there’s another feature that would be of immediate use given our current situation?”

        Botan shifted, suddenly overcome with a sense of unease, as a forced giggle tumbled from her lips. She gave a furtive glance towards their surroundings to both avoid Kurama’s eyes and look for any sign that some demon might be sneaking up on them. “Oh, right, demon hunting grounds. I nearly forgot for a minute there. I was more or less done anyway.”

        Amaya tried to ignore the heat that rose in her cheeks for her part in the conversation and slipped the glasses on. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words evaporated in an instant, leaving her unable to utter anything but a choked squeak when she got a good look her companions. She quickly turned her head to stare through a nearby wall, the heat in her face turning into a roaring flame, as she verified, quite vividly, that the glasses did indeed work as Botan claimed.

        Botan turned to Amaya upon hearing the strange noise the Spirit Detective emitted. “Did you see something?”

        “Yes,” Amaya said before she could stop herself, her voice a full octave higher than usual. “I-I mean no!” She coughed then swallowed hard in an attempt to sound more like her normal self. “I mean… the glasses work but I don’t see any other demons or anything suspicious yet.”

        Botan almost accepted the answer at face value, but she got a good look at Amaya’s profile. The Spirit Detective’s expression read clearly of embarrassment, almost to the point of comedic exaggeration. The fact that Amaya was looking everywhere but in Kurama’s direction explained instantly what had happened. It took all of Botan’s willpower not to laugh. She tried to suppress the urge to tease the dark haired girl, but a wry retort was already forming on the tip of her tongue.

        “We should try and keep conversation to a minimum,” Kurama said in a low voice. “It’s likely that they know we’re here already, but we should try to lessen the risk of being discovered as much as possible.”

        Abashed and disappointed, Botan let go of the witty comment she prepared with a sigh. “Oh, right.” She made a mental note to have a little talk with Amaya privately once the assignment was over, and then tried to get her mind back on the task at hand.

        Amaya stubbornly fixated on the mission and walked slightly ahead of the others to ensure that she would only see the contents of buildings from here on out. _We are about to fight demons, probably to the death. Now is **so** not the time to be thinking about…_ She cringed as her train of thought went down the path she desperately wanted to avoid, so she forced herself to remember the battle with Horumon instead. _The second we find a demon, I’m flicking the switch._

        Silence reigned as the three made their way cautiously through the maze of increasingly dilapidated warehouses. Garbage, such as cardboard boxes and old clothes, lay strewn on the cracked sidewalks, often piled in ways that appeared far too methodical to be mere happenstance. The streaks of rust left by the rain and marks of graffiti were downright cheerful in comparison to a large dark red stain they found splattered across one of the inside walls of a warehouse. There was no sign of what left the mark, save for streaks along the ground that tapered away into nothing shortly outside the building.

        Kurama ran his fingers along the wall and breathed deep before he shook his head. “This stain is old. It’s probably been here for at least a year.”

        “Somehow I don’t find that terribly reassuring,” Botan whispered, her voice wavering. Her eyes darted around with a wary air about her, as she tried to keep watch of every direction at once.

        Amaya felt her stomach churn as she avoided looking at Kurama for more reason than mere embarrassment. There was no need to ask what caused the stain, as her imagination was quite happy to answer that question for her. It was almost a blessing when she found herself distracted by a glimpse of movement she noticed beyond a mercifully blank wall. The Psychic Spyglass left little sign of the wall but the faintest transparency. Beyond that and the street was another wall that seemed only as substantial as a sheet of mist. It allowed her to see a vaguely human shaped shadow that appeared crouched and shuddering, but she was unable to make out any details with two walls and distance separating her from what she was trying to identify. “There’s someone there.”

        Kurama turned his gaze sharply in Amaya’s direction. “Where?”

        Amaya looked back then shut her eyes immediately before flicking the switch on her glasses to turn off their see through effect. She pointed blindly in the direction she spotted the figure as she tried to keep her focus. “In… in the next building over. I can’t see them too clearly from here. I think I have to be closer in order to get a better look.”

        Kurama glanced in the direction Amaya indicated. There were no windows on that particular wall to give him any hint as to what lay in store for them. The area was rancid with the stench of decay and the overlapping pungent scents of demons both old and new. Even in the unlikely event that he was caught off guard by a large number of demons, nothing about the circumstances of the mission hinted that anything they might encounter could be more powerful than the fox demon at his present level. The problem was that his companions were nowhere near his strength, and the narrow alleyways combined with numerous buildings offering a plethora of places to hide made the area rife with the risk of an ambush, particularly since whatever demons living there seemed adept at hiding their energy. He turned his focus to the girls. “I’ll go first. Botan, keep a distance behind me, and Amaya, you cover the rear. We don’t want to risk anyone sneaking up behind us.”

        “Right,” Botan said, only the slightest tremor in her voice hinting that her resolute expression was a facade. Though she possessed strength and abilities beyond ordinary humans, she was no fighter, and knew that her role was best left as guidance and as an extra set of eyes to keep watch.

        Amaya nodded, relieved that no one expected her to take point, and gripped her umbrella tightly, sandwiching the protective talisman she disguised as a good luck charm between it and her palm. Privately, she felt thankful for the earlier rain, the exam, and the fact that Botan remembered to bring her belt bag along. It meant that she had a full arsenal of ways to defend herself. Despite this, she felt her stomach tying itself in knots as they made their way to the neighboring warehouse. _I can do this. I did it before, and this time I’m not alone. Just keep focused…_

        All too soon, the three reached their destination. Kurama opened the door slowly, peering inside. The interior of the empty warehouse was much like the others, save this one had an occupant. A small, trembling figure huddled in the far corner, back to the door. The person possessed a mop of wild, greasy black hair that jutted in all directions, and wore a filthy jacket, sweatpants, and boots.

        To Kurama’s surprise, the scent he detected was not of a demon but that of a human male. The diminutive size of the person indicated he was a child, likely no older than ten. More alarming than the child’s presence in a place like this was the scent of freshly spilled human blood.

        “It’s a child,” Kurama said. “He appears injured.” He wasted no more time and strode quickly through the warehouse to reach the boy, trusting that his companions would follow.

        Wet smacking sounds that grew louder the closer Kurama drew to the boy caused his steps to slow, his instincts telling him there was something amiss with how the child’s head bobbed up and down. He changed direction slightly to get a better look at the boy without getting too close, regretfully allowing Botan to dart past him with Amaya close behind. “Wait!”

        “Hey!” Botan said, her voice echoing off the walls of the warehouse. “Are you o–”

        A guttural snarl consumed Botan’s question as the child whipped around. It was not just the boy’s hair that slimy black, but every inch of his skin revealed by his winter clothes appeared covered in crude oil. His eyes were gone, replaced with white flames, yet somehow he gave the impression that he could still see and focus on the reaper as he lunged towards her with massive sharp teeth and fingers that ended in claws.

        Botan screamed and brought her arms up to shield herself, her eyes shutting instinctively, then shrieked again as a body slammed against her, knocking her to the ground. She opened her eyes when she realized that she was uninjured and saw Amaya sitting on top of her, using the open portable umbrella combined with her Spirit Energy to create a shield that deflected the monster’s fangs and claws, but not the force of the collision. A second later, she saw Kurama wrap a long green vine around the thing that was supposed to be a child, securely binding it while pulling it away from the girls. Once the danger appeared over, the Grim Reaper glared at the fox demon. “I thought you said that was a _child!_ ”

        “It is,” Kurama said, his voice carrying a faintly rough undertone. His eyes were hard as he watched the monstrous child struggle to get free of the vine, slowly sawing away at it with claw and fang. “Amaya, make a barrier to trap him, quickly.”

        Amaya was on her feet in a flash, and ran around the creature as fast as she could. She threw her arms in his direction as she completed the circle, letting out a wordless cry just before the familiar light blue glow of her Territory appeared and locked away the thrashing boy within a separate dimension. She tried not to look at the oily black monster as she drew out her marbles to infuse them with her energy and place them along the circumference of the shield. She could not afford to be distracted until she completed the lattice points.

        Botan dusted herself off as she stood back up. The irrational anger that came from the attack melted away into a far more apprehensive feeling, as she watched the creature burst free from the vines that she now noticed lacked the thorns that Kurama’s Rose Whip normally possessed. The expression the redhead wore, his jaw set and tense, eyes narrow, did not help the sense of unease building inside her. “What do you mean that’s a child?”

        Kurama waited until Amaya finished reinforcing her barrier, as he did not intend to shatter her concentration and her Territory by association. He spoke only when both girls were able to focus on him. “His scent is human, though there is an undeniable demonic influence at work here. I was unable to notice it until I got close due to how saturated this place is with the smell of demons.”

        Amaya felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. “You… you mean…” She looked at the monstrous boy as he threw himself against her barrier letting out a shriek that should not have been possible to create with human vocal cords.

        “There is a demon here with the power to transform humans,” Kurama said. A cursory glance past the barrier allowed him to spot what had preoccupied the boy before their arrival. On the floor was a slab of bloody meat about the size of a deflated basketball, covered in bite marks. He felt it unwise to draw his companions’ attention to it, so he quickly returned his gaze to the child. “Since he still smells human, I believe there is a chance that the change can be reversed.”

        A loud thud accompanying a slight shaking of the ground ended further conversation. A moment later, the screech of metal, splintering wood, and breaking rock drew all eyes to the door from which they entered, as it and a sizable chunk of the wall came crashing down. Botan and Kurama hastily backed away to avoid the debris created when a long steel girder wrapped in barbed wire tore a hole in the wall with violent strikes. Amaya ran past her companions, only to circle back to where she originally stood. A splinter of rock struck her cheek just as she threw up another barrier, this Territory much larger than the first to encompass her, her companions, and the shield surrounding the transformed child.

        From the safety of Amaya’s Territory, the three could see the result of the violent attack as well as its cause. A hole stretched from the floor to the high ceiling of the warehouse and was wide enough to accommodate a semi-truck. A massive humanoid figure loomed just outside the warehouse, the large hump on its stooped back just barely shorter than the ceiling, which was well over five meters tall. Its arms and legs were thick as tree trunks and nearly the same shape, ending not in roots but giant bony growths. Scales covered its massive muscles, each so large and protruding that they looked more like dark blue rocks embedded into translucent light blue skin. Beneath its sagging belly was a leather loincloth adorned with strings of shiny rocks and bones. A thin blue film briefly flickered across bulbous white eyes that looked like infected blobs of pus resting where the temples would be on a human. It snorted through a pair slits that served as its nose, which rested above a mouth that was too large proportionally for its face, yet still held too many irregularly shaped teeth that jutted through its skin in two shaky rows all the way down to its neck. It roared in a deep voice that resonated through the warehouse like the boom of a shotgun, holding a hissing undercurrent to its speech that was similar to the scraping of sandpaper. “ _Brother!_ ”

        The large shield Amaya made only moments ago disappeared, her concentration disintegrating when she got a good look at the monstrosity in front of them.

        Botan fared better, though not by much, as she did not often encounter demons quite so disfigured, and grunted in disgust through her teeth. “What in the world is that thing?”

        “Amaya!” Kurama said, his voice snapping as sharply as any strike of his whip, drawing the Spirit Detective’s attention from the giant demon to him. “Make another shield for you and Botan.”

        It took a few seconds for Amaya to remember how to make her voice work. “B-but what about y–”

        The demon drowned out Amaya’s words with its angry bellow. “What’d you do to me little brother?”

        Botan cringed at the intense volume that assaulted her ears, instinctively shielding them with her palms. “We don’t have your little brother! Believe me, if we met anything as big and scary as you we would’ve remembered.”

        Kurama placed himself between his comrades and the massive demon. It lumbered forward slowly with a wide stride that sent tremors through the ground with each step. The redhead’s sharp mind was already racing, carefully analyzing each movement and possible methods of attack from this new enemy. “I’ll handle this one.”

        Amaya wanted to argue for fear of the danger Kurama placed himself in, but ultimately did as he ordered, creating a new barrier hastily with lattice points so that it would not disappear so easily. She checked the initial shield she created around the transformed child as well to ensure that she would not accidentally trap her and Botan in the same space with a currently dangerous entity.

        With Amaya and Botan no longer at the forefront of Kurama’s concern, the redhead focused on the demon looming over him, feeling no fear despite its gruesome countenance. “What do you mean by ‘brother’?”

        The massive demon tilted its head down towards Kurama, but only for a moment, as it focused instead on the direction of the shrieks created by the captive child. “Me brother! What be you doing in there?”

        Botan looked at the transformed boy, who was slashing his claws ineffectively at the barrier Amaya placed around him. “Wait, does he mean he thinks _this_ is his little brother?”

        Kurama moved quickly to intercept the demon and draw its attention by standing in its way, but the giant acted as though he was not there, utterly fixated on the captive child. The former spirit fox leapt backwards – before he chanced the larger demon striking him with one of its large limbs or the girder it wielded like a club – to land lightly on top of the shield protecting the girls. “This child is not your brother.”

        The hulking demon paused in its approach and lifted its head just slightly, the closest indication it could give that it was looking at Kurama without the benefit of pupils or irises to lend a visual cue as to where its attention lay. The redhead wondered how well it could actually see. “You make me brother cry,” it said. It raised the girder high, tearing a hole through the ceiling as it brought its arm up and back. “Me don’t like ones who make me brother cry.”

        A flick of the wrist from Kurama drew a rose seed from his hair, instantly growing it into a green thorn covered vine that he lashed around the steel girder as it came down. He used his Rose Whip to redirect the momentum of the large piece of metal while slicing it through at the base with the supernaturally strengthened thorns. The result left the giant demon with little more than a stub while the remainder of the girder drove itself into the ground just shy of the shield, as sweet smelling red rose petals rained down around them.

        Botan exhaled a breath she did not realize she had been holding. Though the chances of the demon’s club breaking into Amaya’s Territory were slim, she was glad that they would not be testing out its limits under such dire circumstances. “Nice one, Kurama.”

        Amaya swallowed to get some moisture back in her suddenly dry throat, rubbing her neck a little too firmly to ease her discomfort. The attack and counter happened far too quickly for her to realize what had transpired until it was over. Her heart fluttered in her ribcage like a trapped bird as her gaze went to the girder that had nearly come crashing down on top of them. The reddish stains and strips of what she hoped were merely trash that decorated the bits of barbed wire drew her attention in particular.

        The large demon held what was left of its club in front of its face, its thin eyelids flickering frantically. It tilted its head from side to side and turned its hand over to inspect its destroyed weapon from every angle, as though something might change during its examination. “Where did me club go?”

        Kurama felt a measure of relief. For all its immense strength, massive size, and grotesque appearance, the level of power this demon possessed seemed significantly inferior to his. His intelligence alone gave him a substantial advantage. “You claimed this child was your brother.”

        “Yeah,” the demon said as it craned its head towards Kurama. “Me little brother. Why you got me little brother in that ball? You stop making me brother cry or else me crush you.” It pulled its arm back for another swing, but all it accomplished was creating a slight breeze that brushed back strands of Kurama’s red hair. The demon bobbed its head, its eyelids flickering again, before it raised the stump of its club for further scrutiny.

        Kurama took care to choose simple words, as he doubted this demon would understand anything overly complex. “Who made him your little brother?”

        “Me mamma,” the demon said. “Me mamma made me’s and me brothers’ and me sisters’ new little brothers and little sisters.”

        Botan felt her ire rise like a trail of fire traveling upwards along her spine. “I can’t believe this! Just how many children have you kidnapped and transformed into monsters? They are _not_ your brothers and sisters, you overgrown troll! These are innocent human children with families, who are no doubt beside themselves with worry, and you’re transforming them into horrible monsters! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

        The massive demon lowered its head, craning it far to the right to the point that the demon nearly fell over. It let out a surprisingly squeaky little laugh. “Womans! Gimmie!” It reached for Botan with its empty hand, only for its claws to scrape uselessly against the barrier. The aqua haired girl let out a yelp when the demon’s hand came too close and jerked backwards instinctively. The giant poked and prodded at the shield, but made no progress in getting through to the girls inside.

        “You keep your hands to yourself!” Botan said once she regained her composure.

        Kurama’s voice became as sharp as a razor’s edge. “How _many_ little brothers and little sisters did your mother make?”

        The demon’s eyes flickered again as it scraped its claws against the periphery of Amaya’s Territory in front of the Spirit Detective’s face, as though the demon believed that switching its target might yield better results. Amaya shuddered at the proximity, but managed to keep concentrating on maintaining both barriers. “Womans and me little brother,” the giant said. “Let me in so me can has you.”

        A small gesture from Kurama’s hand unwound his Rose Whip from the girder in an instant. A moment later and the whip struck the giant’s wrist, carving a gash through the demon’s scaly hide that oozed with black blood as thick as tar. The fox had enough of reasoning with a greedy simpleton who barely had any concept of what was going on around it. “Tell me where I can find your mother.”

        The demon did not notice the pain until half a minute and two more lashes of Kurama’s whip later. The giant howled like the gust of a tornado as it drew back its arm. “You hurt me!”

        “If you have any complaints about my behavior then bring your mother here,” Kurama said. “I’ll be more than happy to discuss the situation with her.”

        The demon raised its head to Kurama and drew back its lips in an ugly sneer. The giant threw its head towards the ceiling and let out a deafening cry, forcing Kurama to cover his ears to shield them from the audio assault. “ _Mamma!_ ”

        The word hung wavering in the air, echoing through the warehouse and the surrounding area. Within moments, the ground trembled five distinct times, each shudder accompanied by a loud thud of something huge and dense striking concrete hard enough to break it. Through the large crack in the wall carved by the giant demon came five more demons similar in size and stature to the first, each a strikingly different color. Aside from their color, the red and yellow demons differed from the blue only by the ornaments attached to their loincloths. The green, purple, and orange demons were likewise similar in build, save for large sagging breasts they sported, hidden by strips of leather. The only thing truly unique about each of them aside from hue was the weapons they carried. The red demon dragged the arm of a crane, trailing a large wrecking ball behind him. The yellow demon clutched a twined piece of metal made up of an extremely long yet tightly coiled length of fence. The green demon lugged around a tall ginkgo tree, its trunk perforated with countless numbers of blades that threatened to split the wood apart. The orange demon sported a club made up of coiled copper piping that somehow hung onto numerous large shards of glass. The purple demon’s weapon stood out from among the others as something obviously not created through simplistic improvisation – she carried a double-ended trident made from red metal, its tri-pronged blades jutting from pinkish gray pulsating blobs adorning both ends that vaguely resembled brains. Kurama noted to himself to keep an eye on the purple demon in particular.

        “More of them,” Amaya said, her voice faint. It was only thanks to her Territory that she and Botan could hear her quiet whisper, as the shield protected them from the piercing howl – to the girls, the noise never raised beyond tolerable levels.

        Botan placed her hand on Amaya’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, both to offer reassurance to the blue-eyed girl and ease her own frayed nerves at the sight of so many giant demons crowding into an increasingly cramped warehouse. “It’ll be alright. Kurama can take on even a dozen of these brainless oafs blindfolded. No sweat.”

        The smile Amaya gave Botan was weak and unconvincing, but it was the best response she could offer.

        Botan smiled back, but only for a second, as she noticed the wide line of blood drawn down from Amaya’s right cheek to the dark haired girl’s collarbone. She had not seen it earlier because she had been standing to the Spirit Detective’s left. “Oh, you’re bleeding!” She silently berated herself for not noticing the injury sooner. “Here, let me take care of that.”

        Amaya brushed the half-dried blood from her neck and chin, noticing for the first time that it was there. “I’m fine. It’s not important.” She looked at the blood streaked across the back of her hand. When she spoke again, she talked over the beginnings of a protest from Botan, drowning the reaper out. “Do you still have the Concentration Ring?”

        Botan blinked, so startled at the sudden change in topic that she lost her train of thought. “What? Oh, right.” She quickly summoned the tool kit so she could give Amaya the ring, grimacing at the red streak on the Spirit Detective’s hand. “Here, but you better save it _only_ as a last resort. Just let Kurama deal with things for now, okay?”

        Amaya nodded and slid the Concentration Ring onto her ring finger. “Right.”

        “Now, about that cut,” Botan said. “If you’ll just let me–”

        Laughter floated through the air like the tinkling of chimes, lightly echoing off the high ceiling of the warehouse, pleasant yet demanding the attention of everyone who heard it. From somewhere beyond the group of giant demons came the surprisingly dulcet voice of a woman in her prime. “Aoirappa, have you been playing with your food again?”

        The blue demon turned its back on Kurama. “Mamma!”

        The other five demons split into two groups as they created a path that led to the large hole in the wall. The clacking of heels lightly touching down on concrete heralded the arrival of a woman who appeared as though she was a statue of a goddess carved by a master sculptor given life. Long strands of white hair coiled about her, hugging her body with each elegant step she took, while shadows darker than what hair should create naturally danced about along the strands. Three circular jewels traced an arch over each of her eyebrows – primary colors over her left and secondary colors over her right – drawing attention to the fact that her eyes lacked any feature save for a glowing void of white. The woman was of average height, standing merely a third as tall as the giants that craned their heads towards her. The clothes she wore exposed much of her shimmering dark gray skin. They clung so tightly to her body that they seemed less like cloth and more like swatches of glistening black paint shaped similarly to a barely secure bustier, a tanga, fingerless opera gloves, and thigh-high ballet boots. Hanging loosely from her hips, as though flouting the laws of gravity, was a chain of metal flowers with different colored petals, which coiled around a white painted shakuhachi. “Oh, did my poor baby boy cut himself, he was so excited? Come to Mamma, Aoirappa, and I’ll patch you up.”

        The blue demon took a heavy step forward. “Mamma! Mamma!”

        The woman held up a single finger, which the blue demon took as a sign to halt. “Aoirappa, now you know better than to come to me like _that_ don’t you?”

        The blue demon, Aoirappa, let out a whistling wheeze through his teeth. “Yes Mamma. Sorry Mamma.”

        A sound comparable to a balloon bursting rang out, as all at once Aoirappa’s body collapsed in on itself, shrinking down into the size and rough shape of a bowling ball. From the now smooth surface of the demon’s skin came four stubs that served as his arms and legs, as well as a dome shaped head capped with a pair small, pointy horns. He looked almost exactly like a plush toy, with an extra wide line drawn for a mouth and a pair of shiny silver coins for eyes. The wound left on his arm bulged with thick fluffs of black, like a doll losing its stuffing. Aoirappa floated to the woman he called mother, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye, and settled comfortably into the crook of her arm. When he spoke again, his words came much more easily, his voice softer and at a much higher pitch, like that of a child. “That evil man hurt me, Mamma, and took one of the little ones!”

        The demon mother crooned as she twitched her fingers over the injured arm, drawing out strings of glistening silver from her long fingernails that quickly crisscrossed into stitches. The stuffing soon retreated into the wound before it sealed shut, leaving no trace of injury or the silver strands binding it behind. “There now, all better.”

        Aoirappa placed his stubby arms against his mother’s chest. “Thank you, Mamma. I love you!”

        Kurama watched the scene unfold with a critical eye. This mission appeared much more dangerous than he initially anticipated. It seemed very unlikely that this woman was a mere D-class demon. “I take it that you’re the one in charge here.”

        The demon mother tilted her head in Kurama’s direction, her expression almost bored as she tickled Aoirappa’s round belly with a single finger, causing the tiny demon to squirm and giggle.

        “That’s it!” Botan said, her eyes lighting up with understanding. “That explains it. I was wondering how those giant demons could hide themselves and the destruction they caused from Spirit World intelligence, let alone sneak up on us. Their real form is that little one!”

        The demon mother tilted her chin down a slight degree, as though focusing on the glowing barrier. “I am Irokafue, and _whom_ are you to _dare_ hurt this sweet and innocent child like this? What monsters dare to lock away a mere babe whom is screaming for his mother? Have you no heart?”

        Botan fairly quivered with rage and shook her fist in Irokafue’s direction. “ _Monsters_? How dare you call _us_ monsters when you’re transforming human children into _this?_ ” She gestured behind her at the cursed boy, yelping quietly as her fingers accidentally struck the barrier separating them.

        The anger seemed infectious, as fury spurred Amaya to speak sharply as well. “Why are you doing this? You have plenty of children of your own. You don’t need to steal children from other mothers!”

        The corner of Irokafue’s mouth twitched, barely exposing a flash of white teeth. “Women. I have no use for girls whom have begun their cycle, and I will not tolerate the existence of arrogant cows whom wish to steal my babies for their own.”

        Botan thrust her finger forward to point at Irokafue, barely holding her arm back just enough so as not to slam her hand against the outer barrier. “That is the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever heard in my life! Do you even listen to yourself?”

        Irokafue released Aoirappa, who drifted upward at her side. “I have no need to listen to the ravings of women so desperate for children that they would steal them away from their loving mother’s bosom.”

        “I think she just answered your question, Botan,” Amaya said in a quiet mutter.

        Kurama readjusted his stance in preparation to jump, holding his whip at the ready. The tilt of his head cast a shadow over his face, making his eyes a darker shade of green, as he fixated his gaze on Irokafue. “Release the children you’ve stolen and return them to their human forms. If you refuse, there will be no mercy for you.”

        Irokafue lifted her head high in Kurama’s direction, lowering it slightly before raising it again. A smile tugged at her lips, the expression more hungry than pleased. “And just whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

        “Someone who is losing patience,” Kurama said. The distasteful demon in front of him was not worth a proper introduction. “Tell me how to reverse the transformation.”

        Irokafue tossed her head back as she brushed a lock of her hair from her shoulder, arching her back in the process. “I’ll make you a deal. If you agree to sire new children to replace the babes you take from me, I will allow my babies to turn back into their original distasteful aging forms.”

        Botan outright gawked at Irokafue. “ _What_?”

        “I refuse,” Kurama said.

        Irokafue jerked back as though struck, her long, pointed ears twitching. “What did you say?” Her head slowly swayed back and forth, reeling from Kurama’s words. “That cannot be right! _You_ cannot refuse _me!_ Have you knotholes for eyes?” She cupped her breasts then ran her palms down along her stomach, ending at her hips. “A mere human such as you should feel blessed by the gods to be permitted the chance to sample the perfect body of Irokafue for even an instant! Whom do you think you are?”

        Botan folded her arms. “He’s someone with a lot more class and far better taste than you! Of all the nerve!”

        Kurama’s look held nothing but contempt for the supposedly sensual movements and striking features of Irokafue. “I find nothing alluring about a woman who reeks of death and human suffering.” The lack of comprehension on the gray woman’s face only heightened the fox demon’s disgust towards her. “The thought of touching a creature like you turns my stomach.”

        Irokafue’s mouth twisted, as wrinkles creased the corners of her eyes. “Very well. It is a pity that such a handsome man such as you will be a playmate of my daughters until they tire of you, but I hate men whom refuse to learn their place!” She turned her head to the giants that possessed sagging breasts. “Papururappa! Orenjirappa! Gurinrappa! The man is yours!” She looked to the remaining three. “Aoirappa! Niirorappa! Kiirorappa! Break the shield and bring the women to me!”

        “Yes Mamma,” the colorful demons said in unison. The voices of the larger demons rumbled like an approaching storm, completely drowning out the relatively quieter voice of Aoirappa.

        The small blue demon was quick as he streaked towards the barrier, but Kurama’s reaction time was faster still. Kurama lashed out with the Rose Whip to strike Aoirappa and sent the diminutive demon flying back, black fluff spilling from a deep slice carved through Aoirappa’s midsection.

        Irokafue shrieked as she watched Aoirappa hit the floor, all but split in two. “My child! You hurt my child!”

        Kurama twirled the Rose Whip in a circle above his head so quickly that it became little more than a green blur. Red rose petals gently fluttered down around him like snow, filling the air with a sweet scent. “This is your final warning. Unless you want the rest of your children to meet the same fate, release the human children you’ve transformed.”

        Irokafue ground her teeth together. “Kill him! Kill him, my children!”

        The combined roar of the five remaining colorful demons made Kurama cringe in pain, but he forced himself to endure the noise and the ringing it left left inside his throbbing head. When the giants charged at him from all sides, they came within range of the whirlwind of fluttering rose petals. Their movements ground to a halt, as the toxins on the petals and pollen in the air attacked their nervous systems. The tip of the Rose Whip drew a line of energy above Kurama’s head that formed a flickering circle of light. “Rose Whip Thorn Wheel!” Waves of energy expanded outwards in all directions from the glowing circle and broke off in crescent shapes, slicing through the air, the walls of the warehouse, and the giant demons.

        Kurama slowed the spinning of his whip to a halt, allowing his weapon to dangle at his side. As the last of the rose petals touched the ground, so too did the giant demons tumble, their bodies diced into numerous irregularly sized pieces. Five loud pops resounded as the giant demons transformed from hunks of muscle and tar into small strips of colorful fabric and clouds of black fluff.

        Irokafue turned her head to scan the room, taking in the carnage before her. “My… my children.” She dug her nails into her scalp, drawing a viscous black liquid that trickled between her fingers. “My children!” Her voice slowly grew louder as it lost all trace of tenderness. “ _My children!_ ” Each word she spoke wavered in pitch until it cracked with a tinge of hysteria. “You’ve _murdered_ my _children_!”

        Botan laughed as she threw her arms into the air and let out a whoop of joy. It may not have been appropriate, given the signs of slaughter that surrounded them, but she could not help but enjoy the euphoric feeling of triumph. “Alright, Kurama! You did it! You showed that witch she can’t go around doing whatever she pleases!”

        Amaya reeled, as her eyes drifted through the warehouse to take in the state of both the colorful demons and the long thin slices carved through virtually every wall from Kurama’s attack. She focused on the fox demon when he jumped lightly to the floor in front of the barrier and watched his retreating back as he made his way to Irokafue. The Spirit Detective felt as though she should say or do something after such an overwhelming victory, but found herself at a loss. _He wasn’t kidding when he said he was a high level demon. He took out those monsters as if they were nothing._

        Kurama reversed the growth of his Rose Whip, returning it to a mere seed, as he approached Irokafue with measured steps. “You were warned,” he said once the silvery demon stopped screaming. “Now… you _will_ release the humans you transformed, even if I must make you do it by force.”

        Irokafue’s lips twitched, as though she had forgotten how to shape her mouth. Surprisingly, a small hiccup that sounded suspiciously like laughter escaped her. The sound repeated itself a little louder. A high-pitched shaky giggle pulled her lips back from her teeth before she threw her head back and cackled, an ugly sound that rang around the warehouse from all sides.

        Kurama halted only a couple meters away from Irokafue as he watched her intently. There was a chance that she had simply snapped from the shock, but experience told him that it was moments like these where a person was most likely to do something dangerous and unpredictable.

        “You think you’ve won,” Irokafue said, the words burbling out with squeaky giggles. “You think I have no more children left to protect me?” She threw her hands outward. “My children will _always_ protect their mother! Come to Mamma, Babies!”

        A cacophony of snarls and shrieks filled the air. Shadows on the floor darkened, turning into portals that allowed blackened heads with eyes of white flame to emerge from their depths. There were dozens of children, wearing everything from thick jackets and pants to swimsuits and sandals. They crawled on hands and feet like animals, snapping their unnaturally large and sharp teeth at the one who angered the demon who made them what they were.

        Kurama had little recourse but to dodge as the transformed children lunged at him from all sides. The option to attack was there, but the thought of shedding the blood of another innocent child… He banished memories of the cruel choice thrust upon him over a week ago thanks to the mad designs of Shinobu Sensui, focusing instead on the present and the alternative tactics he could take. If he could dispatch Irokafue, then perhaps the children would revert to normal.

        Regrettably, approaching Irokafue proved more challenging for Kurama than he expected, particularly because she kept her distance from him. The attacking children forced him to remain in constant motion, and most of the children clustered around their so-called ‘mother.’ He could barely touch his feet to the ground for more than a second before leaping into the air over the head of a girl in a brown stained frilly dress, twisting his body around to evade the claws of a boy with a frayed straw hat that barely hung onto his neck by a string.

        “You horrible, horrible woman!” Botan said, raising her voice above the din generated by the transformed children. “Don’t you even care that these children might get hurt too because of what you’re doing?”

        No answer came, save for Irokafue’s harsh mocking laugh.

        As much as Amaya worried for Kurama’s safety, she felt a greater sense of concern for the children. The fox demon had already proven he held immense strength. If he made one mistake, a child or any number of them could be hurt, even killed. The Spirit Detective turned to Botan, grabbing her guide by the wrist. “There has to be something we can do to help Kurama. Isn’t there a tool or something that could help us?”

        Botan turned her eyes skyward as she racked her brain to remember the various potential uses of the tools in the Spirit Detective’s arsenal. “Let’s see… There’s the Mystic Whistle. That can be very obnoxious for demons.” She glanced outside Amaya’s Territory and grimaced as she saw a couple children clawing at the barrier wall. “Oh, wait, that probably will hurt us more than help since it’ll affect Kurama too and probably won’t work as effectively on the children since they’re still human deep down.”

        Amaya held up her good luck charm, a desperate air to her voice. “What about talismans? I used one like this to hurt Horumon and those demon insects. Would it, I don’t know, get rid of the demonic influence or something?”

        Botan knitted her brow. “Maybe… But I’m afraid I’m not too well versed in talismans, and we don’t know exactly what it was that Irokafue did to them, so I’m not sure. It might hurt them more than help.”

        Amaya tightened her grip on the charm, halfway crumpling it as her frustration mounted. _I’m supposed to be the Spirit Detective, aren’t I? How can I save anyone if I can’t do anything? If only there was a way to find out for sure…_

        A glimpse of the child Amaya caught earlier, still uselessly trying to make his escape, gave the Spirit Detective an idea. If she just placed the talisman against the child’s hand, then the damage would be relatively minor if it was indeed toxic to him in this state…

        Amaya shuddered when she remembered the burn the talisman left on Horumon’s face that destroyed his eye and turned away. The force of the child tackling her earlier had been nothing when compared to Horumon’s blows, hinting that the children, even transformed, were likely far less resilient. Yet, she also recalled Izumi’s transformation from ordinary girl to something just short of a shambling corpse. Izumi showed no signs of injury caused by anything but falling down after the talisman destroyed the demon insect that possessed her. Using the talisman on Izumi had been an accident, but Amaya knew that if she had the choice to do all over again, she would have used the charm anyway, regardless of the risk, in order to prevent anyone from getting stabbed. Amaya had to admit that her concern towards hurting Izumi was significantly less than the fear she felt for harming any of the innocent children forced to do Irokafue’s bidding. The children barely looked human in this state, whereas Izumi’s appearance had not changed significantly. _Is it really right to risk it?_

        Calm returned to Irokafue’s features as she watched Kurama struggle to evade the constant barrage of attacks. “My little ones are so good to their mother. They protect me, love me, and _feed_ me.” She removed the shakuhachi from her belt. “Shall I show you what else they can do?” She did not wait for an answer, as she placed the bamboo flute to her lips.

        A haunting melody filled the air, somehow perceivable to the ear despite the constant barrage of blaring noise created by the children. The flames where their eyes should have been blazed brighter, creating thin wisps of black smoke that cumulated into a dark fog. Kurama was forced to rely more on his sense of smell in order to avoid the attacks that continued to come relentlessly even as visibility lessened and the air grew charged with Spirit Energy. Eventually he could see little more than glimpses of twin balls of white fire streaking towards him from all sides. The former thief quickly retreated to where there were fewer children to contend with in order to get out of the fog, certain that it was no mere smokescreen.

        Botan grimaced as the world outside Amaya’s Territory turned pitch black. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this…”

        Amaya looked from the darkness to the protective talisman in her hand, then eventually the captive child.

        Kurama emerged from the fog to find himself at a far corner of the warehouse. He turned quickly, ready to evade the next attack, only to be surprised when it never came. The cloud of black grew increasingly denser by the moment, slowly congealing into a more solid state that reminded him alarmingly of the stuffing inside the smaller versions of the six colorful demons.

        The snarls and howls of the children grew quiet in a matter of seconds, leaving only the music of the shakuhachi. A series of sharp pops, six to be precise, heralded violent churning of the dense cloud as it twisted and swirled into rounded shapes. It was by the fourth pop that the fog thinned enough for Kurama to witness what exactly was happening – portions of the thick darkness condensed itself into several balls before bursting into the colorful demons in their diminutive state until there were exactly six in total once more.

        Irokafue stopped playing so that she could reach out and caress each of the color demons in turn, as they hovered around her. A veritable sea of glistening oil black children crouched at her feet, creating a densely packed protective ring around her on all sides. “You see, _Demon_? My little ones love their big brothers and sisters too. That’s why they will never let even death destroy our happy little family.”

        Although the situation was still unfavorable due to the children placed between Kurama and Irokafue, the demon fox found circumstances slightly better than they were a moment ago. The revival of the color demons complicated matters, but not by much. A quick glance out of the corner of his eye verified that Amaya and Botan were still safely within the Spirit Detective’s Territory. That just left him with the problem of freeing the children from Irokafue’s thrall and placing them out of harm’s way. He needed a way to separate her from them somehow.

        “You sound so sure that your children love you, but I have to wonder,” Kurama said. “Everything I’ve seen so far suggests that those six aren’t real living creatures, but artificial constructs you created with your demonic energy. Do they _really_ love you, or did you create them to act as though they are capable of possessing that emotion?”

        A small spasm in Irokafue’s cheek caused her eyelid to flutter. “Whom are you to speak of love? You, whom are incapable of feeling such emotion? You, whom feel no hint of desire towards the female form whatsoever? _You_ , whom showed no mercy in _murdering_ innocent _children_? I think not!” Her expression grew easier and she began to smile. “But worry not, I shall show you a demonstration of what _true_ artificial love looks like.”

        Botan made a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a repressed scream, as her hatred for everything Irokafue had done so far mounted to the breaking point. She shook her arms at the silver demon, alternating between clenching her hands into fists and wagging her finger. “I’ve had just about all I can take from you! Where do you get off saying these horrible things about Kurama when you don’t know the first thing about him? You’re absolutely one of the most selfish, hypocritical monsters I’ve had the misfortune of laying my eyes on! You deserve to be locked up in a tiny cell in a dungeon in the deepest depths of Demon World so that no child will ever risk getting anywhere near you again!” She paused to take a breath and let it out through her nose. “And it’s ‘who’ not ‘whom’!”

        Irokafue played another song on her shakuhachi, one that sounded distinctly different from the last, yet still somehow seemed just as sinister. Kurama readied himself for anything, not yet able to do much more than that. He held a half formed plan of attack in his mind, but he could not act on it until he was sure what the female demon’s move would be and he had a better sense of her abilities.

        There was energy in the music produced by the bamboo flute. Kurama could feel it resonate inside his head, attempting to command his thoughts. The former thief suppressed the minor urge he felt to indulge in old habits and snort in disdain when he realized the purpose of this particular song. “I hate to disappoint you, but that tactic won’t work on me. My mind is not nearly weak enough to be controlled by something like that.”

        Irokafue did not so much as twitch beyond moving her fingers across the surface of the shakuhachi.

        Kurama made sure to be discreet as he glanced in the direction of his comrades, who were located at the opposite end of the warehouse. Botan did not display any unusual behavior, just exasperation at the current situation. Amaya appeared troubled, as she was unable to keep her gaze fixated on any one spot. Perhaps the music did not have an effect on women, or, more likely, the Spirit Detective’s Territory protected the pair from that as well. If Irokafue’s intention was to control any of them, then now was the time to make his move before she realized that her strategy was not working.

        “Do you intend to force me to submit?” Kurama said. “I can assure you that I am not like those dolls you created, which lack anything resembling a brain or a soul. You cannot even overcome the minds of the children you’ve stolen and force them to love you. Instead, you rob them of their sanity and leave them only with the basest of animal impulses.”

        “Stop talking about Mamma like that, you jerk!” Aoirappa said.

        “Yeah!” the purple demon said. “We love Mamma.” The rest of the demons chimed in their agreement as the transformed children growled.

        “I tire of your puppet show, Irokafue,” Kurama said, sounding faintly bored. “I will not stand for you insulting my intelligence by pretending any of these toys of yours or your captives can speak for themselves.”

        The green demon flailed her stubby arms, steam literally spewing from the sides of her head. “Stop it, stop it, stop it!”

        “Stop it or we’ll _make_ you stop!” the orange demon said.

        Kurama narrowed his eyes a fraction. “Have you forgotten how easily I’ve dispatched your toys, Irokafue? Unleash them upon me again and I promise you that I will not even leave so much as scraps behind.”

        Irokafue’s eyes were slits of blazing light that focused entirely on Kurama. Around her, the color demons shuddered and drew closer to their creator, as though remembering the results of the previous attack. The transformed children rose to their feet, bodies hunched and ready to spring as they snarled at the demon fox.

        Botan wrung her hands together. “What is Kurama doing?” she whispered. “Surely he realizes Irokafue is just going to send the children after him again if he keeps talking like that. He won’t be able to fight back against them!”

        “Maybe he figured out how to change them back,” Amaya whispered. “Does he have the power to purge demonic possession or reverse transformations or something?”

        A quick recall of Kurama’s abilities only brought a grimace that marred Botan’s already troubled features. “No. At least, I don’t think so.” The reaper moaned and rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the unbearable tension there. “I know he must have a plan, but I can’t think of any attack that might end well in this situation. There’s no way he could be planning… Not after Amanuma…” She allowed that direction of thought die, not wanting to consider the idea that Kurama might have given up hope on saving all the children under these circumstances.

        The implication was enough for Amaya. Forcing back the sickening feeling of bile in her throat, she turned to the child captive in the inner barrier, cupped the talisman in her palm, and waited for the boy to pause in his futile scratching at the shield that kept him captive. He might not have been able to pass through the border of the Spirit Detective’s Territory, but Amaya felt no resistance whatsoever when she reached in and snatched up the child’s wrist. She felt the energy blazing through her arm into her palm, where the talisman turned it into miniature bolts of lightning that made their way along every inch of the boy’s body, causing him to fall into uncontrolled spasms, as though he were undergoing electrocution. The noise he made was not of a terrifying creature, but the cry of a child in agony.

        The boy’s scream set off a chain reaction of events. The rest of the transformed children burst into action, charging towards Kurama like flood of dark water gushing forth from a ruptured dam. Before the children got close, Kurama unleashed plumes of specially powdered mold from his palms to create a cloud of white around him, which quickly enveloped the brood and filled the rest of the warehouse. The color demons shot towards Amaya’s Territory as fast as bullets from a gun before the smokescreen reached them, only to bounce harmlessly off the light blue dome.

        Botan barely noticed the attempted breach, too fixated on Amaya. The boy had gone limp, dangling by the wrist clutched in the Spirit Detective’s faintly trembling grip. The child’s torturous scream still rang in the reaper’s ears. “Amaya… what… what have you done?”

        The whisper did not register to Amaya. She brought her arm around the boy, who hung as wilted as a dying flower in her arms, and lowered him to the ground. She brought her fingers to his neck, seeking out a pulse, as she moved her ear just above his mouth. The warm brush of raspy breath against her cheek and the steady pulse she felt beneath her fingers brought Amaya such a rush of relief that it made her lightheaded. When she leaned back to get a better look at the boy, she was welcomed by the sight of healthy peach colored skin and a face that looked entirely right for a boy to have. “Thank God…” She paused to wipe the moisture from her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “He’s still alive.”

        The barrier that once separated the girls from the boy shattered into pinpricks of light that disappeared in the blink of an eye, allowing Botan to kneel beside Amaya and the boy. She felt so overwhelmed by what had transpired that it took her a moment to recover. “It worked? He’s back to normal?” She ran her hand over the boy’s body, using what minor healing abilities she possessed to check the child’s vitals. His body gave signs of fatigue and stress, but otherwise appeared normal. “You’re right. I can’t sense any demonic influence in him anymore. He should be fine as long as he gets some rest.”

        When Amaya spoke, her words came out rushed, making her feel as if she was giving a confession rather than an explanation. “I know you said the talisman might hurt him, but I remembered how Fukui was possessed by that demon insect back then and the talisman killed it but didn’t hurt her, so I thought that maybe it would work here too even if he was transformed into a demon, and there wasn’t enough time to just wait when all the other kids are in danger so I thought…” She whipped her head towards Botan, her eyes blazing. “Anyway, we have to hurry up and let Kurama know and help him change the rest of them back before any of the other kids get hurt!”

        Botan nodded, pushing back her ill feelings towards the gamble Amaya took and stood up. “Right.” She turned to the perimeter of the Spirit Detective’s Territory, seeking out Kurama, but saw only white smoke. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled as loudly as she could muster. “Hey! Kurama! We found a cure! We know a way to change all the kids back to normal!”

        The yellow color demon smashed his face into the surface of the barrier, causing Botan to cry out and jump backward out of reflex. Aoirappa and the red demon followed suit, slamming their bodies repeatedly into the shield. “Give us the little one and we’ll let you live!” one of the three said. They moved in and out of the smoke too quickly and sounded too similar for the reaper to be sure which one spoke.

        Botan pressed her knuckles into her hips and gave the demons a reproachful look. “You might as well stop that right now. None of your other attacks even came close to breaking through. We’re going to beat your mother and free all the children, so just give it up and _maybe_ King Yama will show a little mercy on you.”

        “You’re going to die,” one of the color demons said. “You can’t keep us out forever and Mamma will never, ever let you escape.”

        Botan never had the chance to retort. Aoirappa screamed as he crashed into the shield, black stuffing bursting outward from his midsection thanks to a brief flash of green slicing him vertically in half. Two more cries echoed the first further out into the smoke before a very welcome sight appeared outside the border of Amaya’s Territory. “Kurama!”

        A shrill screech pierced the air as the sound of the shakuhachi abruptly ceased. “My children! You killed my children _again!_ How dare you! How _dare_ you!”

        Kurama ignored Irokafue’s ranting as he looked from Botan to Amaya holding the unconscious boy and back again. “We don’t have much time,” he said lowly, so as not to be overheard by the enemy despite how the silver demon shrieked. “How were you able to reverse the transformation?”

        Amaya readjusted her hold on the boy and held up her charm. “I used my Spirit Energy through this talisman. It protects against demon attacks and can apparently force them out of people.”

        The haunting notes of the shakuhachi once more filled the air. The song was almost instantly recognizable as the same one that Irokafue played earlier.

        A slight smile tugged at Kurama’s lips, making him look every bit as crafty as the fox he was. “Perfect. Amaya, I need you to come with me and create a new Territory exactly where I tell you to after you dispel this one. Botan, take the boy out of here while they’re distracted.” He pointed to the side. “Just go straight in that direction and you’ll find a door leading to the outside. It should be far enough away for you to escape their notice.”

        “Right,” Amaya said. She felt relieved as she switched over the weight of the boy to Botan when the reaper knelt beside her. As dangerous as it was to leave the safety of her Territory, the dark haired girl could no longer stand the idea of doing nothing but watch. It was time for the new Spirit Detective to fight back.

        Botan cradled the boy in her arms and looked in the direction Kurama had indicated before returning her gaze to the demon fox. “What about the other kids? They must be searching everywhere in this smoke looking for you.”

        “You needn’t worry about them,” Kurama said. “Now go. Hurry!”

        The group separated immediately the instant Amaya revoked her Territory. Botan dashed blindly into the smoke, trying to maintain a straight path while silently praying that she would not run into anything worse than the wall. The route Kurama traversed was more complicated, which forced Amaya to hold tightly to his hand in order not to get lost, as visibility ended after only half a meter in front of her eyes, rendering the redhead mostly obscured by the white cloud. The Spirit Detective took care to keep the charm clutched tightly in the palm of her opposite hand, as she did not want to risk finding out what might happen should the talisman touch the fox demon.

        Anxiety bled like a poison through Amaya, bringing an unpleasant tension to her muscles that caused an unwanted strain as she forced them to move quickly. She expected an attack at any moment, particularly when the white smokescreen darkened until it turned pitch black. The murky smoke felt dense and gave a slimy sensation that created goose bumps on her skin. When Kurama finally indicated where to start marking the boundary of her Territory her entire body flinched at the sudden sound of his voice. She did her best to recover quickly and concentrated on forming the barrier, occasionally dropping marbles to ensure that there would be enough lattice points. She nearly lost her focus when the black smoke suddenly disappeared with the sound of three distinct pops before the shakuhachi stopped playing.

        The white smokescreen had been somewhat thinned by the black smoke, allowing Amaya a little more visibility. She occasionally caught glimpses of shadowy figures that thrashed in the smokescreen, which she could only guess were the children, yet for some reason they never came close. She wondered how Kurama managed to keep them at bay and what his plan entailed. The two stopped running as soon as they reached the beginning of the circle and the Spirit Detective opened up her Territory. A strange sense of resistance caught her off guard, but she forced the dome to form despite feeling as though had metaphorically expected to lift a one-kilogram weight but found it to be closer to ten. It was not difficult to figure out the reason – the Territory Kurama directed her to make was at easily four times larger than any she had created before, spanning half the length of the warehouse.

        Kurama released Amaya’s hand once he was sure she had finished forming her Territory. He was quick to note the tense posture of her body and the tightness in her face. She had taxed herself, as he had feared might happen when forming a shield so large. He needed to end the fight quickly before the Spirit Detective’s strength gave out. “Stay inside the barrier, but take care not to wander far from the boundary.”

        Amaya had been ready to question the meaning behind Kurama’s warning when she noticed shapes writhing within her Territory. Cut off from the fox demon’s energy, the smoke quickly dispersed inside the barrier, revealing a field of plants that she at first mistook for very long but thin blades of grass. Each slender leaf stretched at least two meters tall and was covered in a plethora of tiny fibers that glistened wetly, reflecting light like countless prisms to make a field of miniature sparkling rainbows. Violet and white flowers adorned the plants, each the size of a hand. As lovely as the plants were, the sight of the demonized children struggling to break free of numerous leaves that coiled around them tainted the picturesque scene. “What… are those?”

        “The Captivating Rainbow Plant,” Kurama said. “It’s a relative of the Byblis, only this particular branch was cultivated by a little known race of demons in Demon World to catch food. They’re harmless on their own, but it’s quite difficult to escape once caught by the mucilage they excrete, so try not to get too close.”

        Amaya held up her charm as she looked to Kurama. “Should I–”

        “No,” Kurama said. He could guess what Amaya was going to ask, but the risk was too great. There was no telling how long her energy would last, and Irokafue was likely to launch a counter offensive at any moment. “Just focus on maintaining your Territory. We can concentrate on curing the children once Irokafue is defeated.”

        Amaya felt somehow dissatisfied that she was once more relegated to simply standing by on the sidelines, but gave her assent regardless. She knew that she was not in a video game or television show. She could not simply run around half-cocked attacking the enemy with no real fighting experience and expect everything to miraculously work itself out.

        Once Amaya entered the safety of her Territory, Kurama stopped putting his energy into maintaining his smokescreen, allowing it to begin dissipating as he turned in the direction he detected Irokafue. Now that he cut off a source of her power, the silvery demon would be more vulnerable and desperate.

        Frustration welled up in Amaya, squeezing her chest like a vice as she watched Kurama disappear into the smokescreen. Despite the turmoil she put herself through and the risk she took to test the talisman’s effects, once more she was left with nothing she could do but stand behind a shield and wait. She knew that Kurama was right, that she needed to conserve her energy in order to protect the children, but she could not shake the feeling that there was something more she could do to help. Her head and shoulders sagged as her eyes strayed to the Concentration Ring. _If only I had a clear shot_ … _and more practice._

        Inspiration struck Amaya when the Psychic Spyglass slid down the bridge of her nose. She quickly readjusted the glasses and turned on the switch. Instantly the white cloud surrounding her Territory appeared to retreat. It was not gone completely, but it had thinned to the point that she could see virtually the entire warehouse and some of the streets outside through a translucent gray haze that was the warehouse walls.

        Amaya found Kurama quickly enough as he used his Rose Whip to dispatch the blue, red, and yellow color demons while they flailed about blindly within the smokescreen. Heat flooded her cheeks and she nearly looked away the instant she spotted him, but she managed to suppress that reaction with some effort. _Now is **not** the time to be embarrassed._

        Kurama stood calmly not far Irokafue, watching her come into view through the thinning smoke. Her fingers clutched her shakuhachi, curved and tensed, as though she might break it or lash out with her fingernails at any moment. He readied himself for an impulsive attack even as he waited for the flute-bearing demon to see the results of his smokescreen. He would make her aware that she had lost utterly before he delivered the final blow to such a repugnant woman. He waited for the faintest widening of her eyes, a sign that she had spotted Amaya’s Territory behind him, before he spoke. “It’s over.”

        Irokafue’s breath came out in a wet hiss through her tightly gritted teeth. “You… What have you done? _What have you done to my children?_ Return them to me!”

        “You can no longer use these children as shields or as a source of power for your constructs,” Kurama said. “They will be returned home to their _true_ mothers.”

        Irokafue swung her shakuhachi around in a wild arc, the wind whistling through the holes. “You will pay. You. Will. _Suffer._ You whom stole babes from their mother’s breast shall know the true meaning of suffering!” She pointed her flute towards Kurama. “I will make your torment unend–”

        Kurama did not give Irokafue the chance to counterattack or finish her tirade. His anger prompted him to act on impulse – much as he had done against the older Toguro brother – and he struck the silver demon with his Rose Whip. The thorny vines wound around Irokafue’s neck and neatly tore her head from her shoulders in a spray of black blood. He felt a familiar grim sense of satisfaction as he watched Irokafue’s head hit the ground and roll away from him, her hair tumbling across her face. Her body toppled a moment later, still tightly clutching her shakuhachi.

        Amaya turned away, not wanting to see the corpse that was once Irokafue. The decapitation reminded her too much of the way Horumon killed Nobusuke. It was a quick death, true, and it was likely just as necessary to kill Irokafue as it was to kill Horumon, but she did not want to look at a dead body any longer than she had to. Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she cast her gaze towards the warehouse walls, jerking back at what she saw through them. “Kurama! Outside! There are–”

        A scream drowned out Amaya’s words, causing both her and Kurama to turn quickly towards its source. The pair instantly recognized the voice. “Botan!”

        Kurama wasted no time and ran in the direction the scream came from, sparing only a brief glance over his shoulder towards the Spirit Detective. “Stay in your Territory!”

        “Wait!” Amaya said, but her warning came too late. Kurama was already gone. There was no way to alert him of the danger outside now – not as long as she was hiding within her Territory.

        A wetly rasping voice went almost completely unnoticed beneath the din of the captive children. “Unending… _suffering_.”

        Amaya whipped her head around and choked back a scream when she saw Irokafue’s hands move, fingernails scraping grooves into the cement floor, as the silver demon’s headless body rose to its knees. The head of Irokafue twitched and flopped around before the hands picked it up and placed it back on the stump of the neck. The corners of Irokafue’s mouth stretched to her jaw line as the supposedly dead demon spoke. “A mother always keeps her promises for the sake of her children.”


	5. Go for Broke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         It wasn't supposed to be like this. The mission was to take out weak demons that had crossed over in the wake of the tunnel to Demon World. Amaya, Botan, and Kurama are not prepared for the threat they've discovered at the heart of Mushiyori City.
> 
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> * * *

        Kurama’s feet flew across the pavement as he searched for Botan among the warehouses. He reached out with his senses for any trace of her Spirit Energy and found her in most unwanted company. A group of at least two dozen humans had gathered in the juncture between warehouses, surrounding Botan on all sides. Two burly men in hardhats held the reaper’s arms captive, but they were not what forced her to stand rigid and unresisting. The orange demon hovered in front of her, pointing a shard of glass at her throat. The boy Botan had been trying to rescue was in a similar state of distress, hanging limp between two factory workers, as the green demon held a jagged piece of metal beneath his chin. The purple demon hovered in-between the two captives, holding the red trident from earlier between its small stubby arms. Before, the weapon was at least a meter taller than the demon in her larger form, but now it was barely a meter long.

        The purple demon spotted Kurama shortly after he rounded the corner of a warehouse not far from the site, and pointed her trident at him. “Hold it right there! Not one more step or we spill blood!”

        Kurama stopped, his muscles so tense from a combination of anger and the desire to act in such a dire situation that the hand clutching of his Rose Whip twitched. He recognized some of the gathered humans as ones he and the girls snuck past earlier. They stood stiffly, but their faces were slack, some drooling. Their eyes never focused on any one thing, moving about with no real pattern beneath drooping eyelids, pupils dilated to their fullest. A sour smell of burnt human flesh and fabric hung in the air from an unseen source, but the fox demon did not need to see the wound to identify the victim seared. It explained exactly why Botan screamed moments ago.

        “Drop your weapons and surrender,” the purple demon said.

        Kurama was careful to make no sudden moves as he assessed the situation. Though the three demons were holding the boy hostage, it seemed unlikely that they would harm him, as Irokafue appeared too possessive of her ‘children’ to want to lose any of them. That meant that that the redhead needed to focus on reaching Botan before the color demons hurt her again. He just needed to create an opportunity to strike. “What guarantee do I have that you will keep your word?”

        “Don’t do it, Kurama!” Botan said, her voice cracking and coming out at a raised octave due to the terror that seized her.

        The gathered humans drew sharp implements from their pockets – knives, box cutters, rusted bits of broken metal, and the like – and pressed the sharp points to their throats. The only ones who remained still were the four humans holding Botan and the boy captive. The purple demon smiled. “Mamma wants us to play with you, and we can’t play if you kill us again.”

        “Better hurry,” the orange demon said.

        “We want to play,” the green demon said.

        Kurama allowed his Rose Whip to drop to the ground. “What exactly do you wish to ‘play’?”

        The purple demon exploded with a loud pop, instantly reverting to her giant, grotesque form with a shuddering thud against the pavement, which cracked beneath her feet. The double-ended trident grew along with her, reverting back to its original impressive length. She opened her mouth until her forehead touched her back, as though a hinge held the top of her head to her spine. She sunk the trident past rows of irregular jagged teeth until only one of the pointed ends of the trident was visible, then snapped her mouth closed with a sound not unlike rocks cracking and grinding together. Her body racked with tremors until she let out a belch of flames that came dangerously close to searing a few of the nearby humans. Vibrant red flames lit up in the white bulbs that were her eyes, moving like pupils to focus on Kurama. “Tag.”

        Kurama leapt high into the air to dodge a fireball that the purple demon blew in his direction. He landed on top of one of the nearby warehouses, away from the hostages so they would not be incinerated in the inferno like his Rose Whip. The purple demon launched herself in his direction like a cannonball, tearing a hole through the warehouse wall and ceiling at an upward angle, bursting through the roof behind him. The redhead moved quickly to avoid another wall of flame that melted the metal that had once been beneath his feet. The purple demon stood on the empty air where the roof used to be then launched herself after him when he landed on an adjacent warehouse.

        Kurama was quick to take the chase to the alleyways, where he would be not so easy to spot. Unfortunately there were more humans with spasmodic eyes slowly migrating towards the direction he left Botan, and the fox demon was forced to constantly change his course to avoid them or risk his safety to carry them out of the path of flames meant for him.

        With each attack, Kurama found himself forced to move further away from Botan’s location, despite his attempts to circle back. Somehow, the demon managed to anticipate his moves and cut off his route or a human wound up in jeopardy in the opposite direction. The sudden speed and new abilities of his adversary gave the fox demon little doubt that her intelligence had been elevated as well. _I’m being herded_.

        Unfortunately, Kurama could do little with such knowledge. The flames’ heat was so intense they would incinerate virtually any plant in his arsenal and using any sort of weapon against the purple demon meant Botan and the controlled humans would be in jeopardy. He could only evade and seek out some weakness to the enemy’s strategy.

* * *

        Irokafue wove silver threads along her neck, reattaching her head to its proper place. A quiet, wet laughter hissed from her throat. “Such a fool this Kurama is. Does that dog of Spirit World truly think the great Irokafue would not realize whom he is and how we can so easily end such a worthless life as his?”

        Amaya held her hand over her chest, willing her heart to calm down from its frantic beating. She was still not fully recovered from the shock of seeing Irokafue’s decapitated body move and speak, or the casual way in which the demon stitched herself back together. It was all the Spirit Detective could do to force herself to speak the questions pressing on her mind and stall the demon until Kurama returned with Botan. “You… know about Kurama… and Spirit World?”

        Irokafue continued her work without the slightest pause. “Such pathetic cows with their pathetic barrier. They only delay the inevitable.” The whites of her eyes burned brighter. “I _will_ see my babies returned to their mother’s loving bosom and I will feed them the charred remains of Spirit World’s cattle.”

         _I guess I should’ve expected she wouldn’t answer._ Amaya tried to calm her nerves and consider what her next course of action should be. Even if she risked using her energy with a Spirit Gun, Irokafue appeared to be immortal, so it would do nothing but lessen the time she could maintain her Territory.

        A strange light on Irokafue’s chest caught Amaya’s attention. At first, she thought that a pair of white flames like the demon’s eyes appeared on top of the black bustier, but she then noticed a strange overlay of black over white flame and silver skin over black. The Spirit Detective squinted her eyes and tried to will the Psychic Spyglass to help her see more clearly in that area. The barely concealed cleavage disappeared as easily as the tight fabric, revealing the patch of skin to be as artificial as Irokafue’s clothes. A pair of orbs made from blackened glass, each blazing with a white flame at their center, was concealed in the curve of what were supposed to be the demon’s breasts.

        The sight initially baffled Amaya. _Are those… demonic breast implants?_ Almost instantly she dismissed the idea as foolish, despite Irokafue’s obvious vanity. _They’re like her eyes… What if those are her weak points?_ She was not certain of her hypothesis, as it reminded her too much of the glowing vulnerable spots on boss monsters in video games, but she felt inclined to believe that possibility more than the idea that Irokafue was truly immortal. _If that’s true, then maybe I can…_

        “You there,” Irokafue said. Her voice was a sharp whip, cracking through the growls of the transformed children, rendering them silent, save for their echoes. Amaya snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the silver demon, who was whole once more and staring her down. “You must be the shrine maiden whom created this barrier. Though you covet my children, I will offer you one chance at mercy and a swift, painless death at the hands of the very children you wish to steal. Will you obey?”

         “No.”

        Irokafue narrowed her eyes. “Damned human cow! You are nothing but cattle to feed both demons and denizens of Spirit World! You whom are so easily used and discarded should feel honored to give your life for children! Have you no sense of love or compassion?”

        “Of course I do!” The simple ease in which Amaya found herself responding to Irokafue, despite her lingering fears, strengthened her resolve. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand what it means to love anyone!” The Spirit Detective felt the talisman crumple in her hand as she gripped it tightly in her trembling fist. “You…” She felt a plethora of insults spring to mind, but she held them back. _No. I need to play this smart._ She forced a smile, which was more teeth than a curving of her lips. “You don’t deserve these children. I’d rather take them to Spirit World myself than let you lay a finger on them ever again.”

        Irokafue’s fingers twitched. “My babies will not be Spirit World’s sacrifices. You whom prefers to be the slaughtered lamb has no right to claim my babies deserve death!”

        “I can change them back you know,” Amaya said. She tried to sound flippant as she flicked back her bangs. “I have the power to turn them all human again and I’m sure every single one of them will _hate_ you for what you’ve done, and I’m betting you know that too.”

        Irokafue took a step forward, her heel stabbing a hole into the concrete floor. “Lies! My babies know unending loyalty! You will not turn them back to their hideous aging forms! I will slaughter you where you stand if you lay a single finger on any of them!”

        Amaya pushed the Psychic Spyglass down the bridge of her nose, angling her head so that she gazed over top them in what she hoped was a sufficiently haughty manner. “I already did, and you know it, don’t you? You probably felt it when I changed that boy back earlier. I can do it again, and again, and I’ll keep doing it until _all_ of these children are free from you once and for all.”

        Irokafue shrieked and threw her arms out. Thin threads of silver streaked towards Amaya’s Territory. The Spirit Detective flinched when the strands struck the barrier, but quickly relaxed as they slid to the ground harmlessly before disappearing.

        Amaya thought of the way Izumi taunted her in the past and channeled those memories, imitating her tormenter’s nonchalant stance, the slight roll of the head, the upturning of the eyes, and a quiet scoff that created a faint snort when she exhaled. “Pathetic, don’t you think? I’ll bet you didn’t try to use that against Kurama because you knew it wouldn’t hurt him either. You can’t do anything without your trolls doing the dirty work for you, or using children as shields, can you? What if Kurama decided to just kill the children instead of avoiding them? You would probably be in even smaller pieces than those three.” She pointed to the tattered remains of the blue, red, and yellow color demons.

        Irokafue charged at Amaya’s Territory, throwing her body against the border with all her strength. The shield did not show the slightest reaction to the impact, even as the demon threw her fists against it in front of the Spirit Detective’s grinning face. “You will be silent! I will not suffer your insults to my children! You will not steal my babies from me! My children will eat you slowly while you plead for death, you filthy human cow!”

        Amaya did her best to maintain her conceited smile as she adjusted the Psychic Spyglass so that they rested properly on her face. She would only have one shot with her Spirit Gun if she used the Concentration Ring. She doubted that she would have a better opportunity to hit Irokafue’s weak spots, which meant that she needed to fire two blasts at the same time. The problem was she was not terribly confident in her ability to use two Spirit Guns simultaneously. When she extended her index fingers and thumbs, she remembered the talisman she held in the palm of her right hand and how the charm affected Horumon and the transformed children. _If I have to stick my hands outside the shield anyway…_

        The berserker rage Irokafue felt blinded her to everything but the burning desire to destroy the barrier separating her from the human she wished to break. She switched from throwing punches to scraping her nails against the surface against the Territory, focusing all of her energy into a sharp point that she intended to crack the edge of the blue dome like an eggshell. She did not realize that Amaya had been waiting for her to go still, or that the Spirit Detective could easily reach out through the barrier to grab her.

        Irokafue’s screech of outrage when Amaya seized her by the breast quickly dissolved into a wail of anguish. The intense surge of power channeled through the anti-demon talisman struck the orb that lay hidden within her bosom, creating an explosion that sent both demon and detective flying backwards. The silver demon howled until her voice broke as she lay curled on the floor around the smoking crater formed in her chest, the cry echoed by the transformed children. When her agonized wails finally faded, the children grew silent once more.

        Amaya bit her lip in a futile gesture to distract herself from the pain in her right hand as she held it tightly against her chest out of instinct. Reluctantly, she looked at the damage and cringed at the results of the explosion. Black streaks of burns stained her hands around the charred remains of the talisman that once rested within her palm. The umbrella that hung from her wrist broke from its band sometime during the explosion and lay on the ground just outside her Territory with its now warped handle extended. Only the Concentration Ring resting on her ring finger seemed unscathed despite some dark stains. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, **stupid!**_

        Amaya used her uninjured hand to push herself up to her knees towards the barrier. To her dismay, she saw that the explosion only eliminated one of the orbs, and the other was barely halfway visible due to the position of Irokafue’s arms. The Spirit Detective had hoped that she could fire her Spirit Gun with her left hand while she used the ward with her right, but the explosion destroyed her concentration and dissipated the Spirit Energy she gathered before she had a chance to fire. The searing pain that throbbed in her right hand demanded her attention, dulling her focus as she pointed at Irokafue with her left hand. Her Spirit Energy was reluctant to migrate to the tip of her finger and the tremors rippling through her body made it nearly impossible to aim. She tried to use her right hand to brace the left but pain racked her body with the force of a tsunami crashing into the shore, destroying her concentration and rendering her unable to do little else but double over and cradle her burnt hand.

        Irokafue slowly rose from the ground, her movements jerky and unbalanced. With one hand she clutched the blackened hole left behind by the explosion and grasped her remaining orb with the other. “How dare you… How _dare_ a human swine like you touch and mar the perfect body of Irokafue! You will suffer! I will make you suffer a thousand hells!”

        Irokafue took hold of her shakuhachi and began to play what Amaya dimly recognized as her second melody. The notes echoed off the warehouse walls, more haunting now that the children were utterly silent. The Spirit Detective felt tense as she listened, waiting. Though the melody had yielded no results so far, Amaya knew that there must have been a reason why Irokafue insisted on playing it. The anticipation of what was to come was almost as terrible as the answer, which came over a minute after the song began.

        Humans slowly migrated into the warehouse, entering through the doors and various holes the earlier battle created. The spasmodic movements of their half-open eyes and the sluggish, jerky way they stepped and swung their arms like dead weights reminded Amaya of both zombie movies and what happened to Izumi. _That flute… It’s controlling them!_

        Irokafue smiled around the mouth of the bamboo flute as she saw comprehension dawn in Amaya’s eyes. The chilling melody coaxed the humans ever closer to the Spirit Detective’s Territory on all sides. The first to arrive at the edge of the shield drew improvised weapons from tools they carried in their pockets or picked up pieces of debris lying on the ground and used them to strike the barrier.

        The weight of conserving such a sizable Territory after using a large portion of her Spirit Energy in her earlier attack and sustaining a terrible injury bore down on Amaya like a blanket made of lead. Though the attacks from the humans were far weaker than any inflicted by a demon, they made up for such a deficiency through sheer numbers, intending to chip away at her energy a fraction at a time. The Spirit Detective swore inwardly and did her best to ignore the pain as she redirected her concentration entirely on maintaining her shield. She tried to see past the factory workers to find Irokafue, but all she saw were slack, uncomprehending faces staring back at her through twitching, glazed eyes. It seemed that the Psychic Spyglass did not see through living creatures like humans, just their clothes. She flicked the off switch to cease the glasses’ incessant drain on her Spirit Energy. Even if she could find Irokafue’s remaining orb, there was no way she could fire her Spirit Gun without hitting any of the controlled workers or risking the destruction of her Territory.

         _Was it all for nothing?_

* * *

        It took time and a number of tricky maneuvers, but Kurama managed to distance himself from the purple demon. The chase led him to the empty streets at the edge of the factory district, leaving a third of the buildings in the warehouse district collapsed, set ablaze, or melted into piles of warped metal and ash in the purple demon’s wake. He had given up rounding back to where he left Botan, as the fire-breathing demon’s dogged pursuit negated that option. He had another idea in mind, one that made the factory district the ideal location to neutralize the purple demon.

        Kurama sought out the nearest meat processing facility. The search took much less time than he anticipated, as he found one not too far from the warehouse district. Piles of cardboard boxes lay piled obtrusively in front of the rusty metal doors that opened to the empty loading dock, indicating that the factory was likely no longer running. Such good fortune prickled his sense of suspicion, but this was not the time to question it. What he required now was a diversion to prevent the purple demon from being aware of his destination until the trap was set.

        A wall of flame surged through the alley, creeping steadily closer to Kurama from behind despite how quickly he ran. He spotted a door leading to an adjacent building in the opposite direction of the meatpacking plant and slammed his shoulder into it with enough force to break the cheap lock, allowing him to get out of the path of the fire. The room he entered was a darkened office building, unoccupied save for a few potted plants. With a healthy dose of his demonic energy, he caused the growth of the plants to accelerate as he passed them by – save for one that he took with him – until the office transformed into a forest of ferns. The plants closest to the outside door caught fire immediately, but they served their purpose of obscuring his exact path within the factory proper.

        Conveyor belts and machines created a clatter of noise as they did their work autonomously, constructing unknown product and dumping bits of metal components into irregular piles for workers who were no longer there. As Kurama suspected, he was still within range of Irokafue’s influence, which meant that the chances of an innocent person being caught in the crossfire were low. When the fox demon found an emergency exit, he threw the pot in the opposite direction, and ducked behind a piece of nearby machinery only seconds before the purple demon crashed through the walls of the factory.

        The burning plants in the office set off the sprinkler system for the entire factory, dousing Kurama and the demon in water. The deafening wail of the fire alarm drowned out even the noisiest machine, covering up the sound of the emergency door opening automatically. The redhead chanced a glance around the corner of the machinery and found the purple demon digging her way out of some metal parts while whipping her head around from side to side. Kurama waited for the moment that his delayed growth of the fern he threw would take effect. The purple demon spotted the green plant when it jammed up one of the machines and spewed fire in its direction. With her back turned, and the intense heat of the flames turning the water to steam to further cloud her vision, the fox demon had the opportunity he needed to slip out the emergency exit undetected.

        Kurama knew that time was short until the purple demon realized that he was no longer in the burning factory. With the noise of the fire alarm as cover, he could afford to forego subtlety, knocking aside the boxes blocking the doors to the meatpacking plant before forcing the metal shutters to open despite how they shrieked from a lack of oil.

        A cold breeze rolled out the open door, carrying with it the stench of aging blood and flesh. Kurama stood rigid when he identified what sort of meat the factory processed before he saw what hung from the conveyer belt of hooks that dangled from the ceiling. Humans no longer operated the meatpacking plant, as he expected, but that did not mean that the factory was no longer in use or that there were no humans within its walls.

        Kurama was not one to let emotions rule him, but the depths of his fury threatened to overwhelm his sense of rationality. He felt the faint stirrings of his demonic blood respond to his anger, much like when he witnessed Yusuke’s murder at the hands of Shinobu. Since that day, he had practiced in secret to transform back to his yoko self, but until that moment he had been unable to recapture the sensation of raw, primal instinct that allowed him to reclaim his previous form and powers. He might not have known anyone among Irokafue’s victims, but the sheer scale of death and suffering she caused was enough to trigger the change.

        The purple demon did not come crashing into the meatpacking plant as Kurama had expected. Almost ten minutes after he eluded her, she landed heavily on the loading block, but made no attempt to enter after him. When the fox turned his poisonous golden gaze towards her, the purple demon’s already warped mouth curled, creases folding on her face around her demented smile. “Problem?”

        The mocking jeer served the same as throwing gasoline on the flames of Kurama’s hatred, but the fox recognized an attempt at baiting when he heard one. The span of the killing floor separated him from the purple demon, allowing him freedom to act without requiring him to go near the conveyer belt. He was not about to disregard his advantages by charging blindly because of anger. “How long have you and your ‘mother’ been using humans as prey?”

        The purple demon made a noise that was akin to rubbing steel wool vigorously against a stone, which Kurama quickly realized was laughter. “You mad?”

        It took great effort for Kurama to resist the impulse he had to summon the Ojigi Plant, Death Tree, or a similar vicious plant to rend the purple demon to pieces. The only things holding him back was the weakness the plants held to fire and the knowledge that Irokafue was aware of the physical states of the color demons. Botan was still at the mercy of the orange and green demons and torturing the purple one to death would likely make Irokafue murder the reaper out of retaliation. He would not let them hurt Botan again. “Is this what you brought me here to see?”

        The purple demon stopped laughing, but the mocking grin remained. “You noticed.” She entered the factory and swept her arm towards the conveyer belt. “Self-processing meat. It’s the latest in convenience food. Impressive, no?” She took a slight bow. “Too bad they quit halfway through.”

        Kurama neither moved nor spoke.

        The purple demon lumbered to the processing line and tugged the school uniform of a girl with colorfully streaked black hair. “This one is pretty fresh. Still dressed.”

        “Don’t touch them,” Kurama said, the air hissing through his teeth as he spoke.

        The gray skirt tore in the purple demon’s clumsy grip. She dropped the tattered piece of fabric, which turned dark after soaking up the filthy fluids staining the drain below. “Did you check for survivors?” She waited for a few seconds until it was apparent Kurama would not answer. She chuckled and raised her shoulders. “Doesn’t matter anyway.”

        Both demons made their move in the same instant. The purple demon sucked in cold air while the floor of the meatpacking plant shook and ruptured from dozens of plants bursting through the concrete. Bulbous white flowers the size of hydrants split open, the three petals revealing spathe valves that sprayed a shimmering mist in the same moment that the purple demon unleashed a huge fireball.

        Kurama stood his ground in the path of the flames, which disappeared before ever reaching him. The fire did not survive the field of cooling fluid created by the numerous flowers between him and his enemy. Ice appeared and spread across whatever surface the tiny droplets of liquid touched, growing like a living thing. It crawled along the purple demon’s body, breaking off into chunks with each movement she made, only for more to form on her rocky skin a moment later. Leaves lashed out to ensnare her limbs and slow her movements, initially tearing away easily under her massive strength but the task became more difficult as she started to freeze. She spewed large plumes of fire around her feet to burn away the flowers and free herself, but there were too many plants for her inferno to destroy. The field of flowers grew more numerous by the moment under the thief’s careful cultivation of demonic energy.

        Kurama allowed himself to feel some satisfaction as he watched the purple demon’s ineffective struggles. “Do you like them? These flowers are called the Ice Maiden’s Kiss. They’re very rare even in the coldest parts of Demon World.” A small, cruel smile played on his lips when he saw the purple demon could no longer move her legs, likely frozen through completely. “I’ve bred this strain to be _especially_ aggressive.”

        The purple demon did not show fear or rage, as Kurama had expected. She met his eyes and twisted her mouth into the unnerving smirk she gave earlier. “Too late,” she said, her voice stilted from the cold. If she intended to say more, the words never came, as the flowers finished their work, freezing her demented grin in place.

        The meaning was clear – Kurama did not hesitate to race back to the street where he left Botan. He had been gone too long trying to figure out a plan to neutralize the purple demon without killing her. If he had been able to arrange a few minutes in a cold place to speed up the growth of the Ice Maiden’s Kiss Flowers sooner, or did not require such a potent stimulus to transform to his yoko state on his own…

        It struck Kurama as strange that the purple demon appeared to arrange such a scenario where he could change intentionally, but he would dwell on what her motive was beyond stall tactics later. Now, he needed to kill the remaining color demons before something terrible happened to either of the girls – if it was not already too late.

* * *

        When Botan chose to come along on the mission, she never dreamed that she might become a hostage. It had never happened on previous cases, despite the fact that she was no fighter like Yusuke, and had little means of defending herself when compared to the former Spirit Detective and the others. She had a few tricks, but none were of use against a surprise attack from behind.

        Botan had stopped not far from the warehouse where she left her companions, with the intent to retrieve her oar and fly away with the boy. A searing pain struck her back sent her sprawling to the ground with a ghastly scream, forcing her to drop the boy. She nearly forgot about him completely when she realized her clothes were on fire. She frantically rolled around on the ground to smother the flames that ate away at her jacket and sweater, burning her flesh underneath. She had barely snuffed out the blaze when two strong men snagged her arms and yanked her upwards roughly. She struggled and yelled, but the men did not seem to hear her, nor did any of the other humans that gathered and grabbed the boy she had been in the process of rescuing.

        The purple, orange, and green demons revealed themselves just before Kurama arrived. The sight of the green-eyed boy filled Botan with hope, despite the threat of having her throat slit, until the controlled humans drew their improvised weapons and turned themselves into hostages. She wanted to call after Kurama when the purple demon pursued him in a terrifying game of cat and mouse, but she had been unable to find her voice until he disappeared from sight.

        Botan was able to breathe easier when the weapons were lowered, but she could not feel any real sense of relief. She did her best to glare at the orange and green demons, rallying her courage. “You’re horrible! Absolutely horrible! How can you do all these terrible things to innocent humans like this?

        The green and orange demons looked at each other then covered their wide smiles with their stubby hands, as though to hide their giggling. “Because it’s fun!” they said in unison.

        Botan felt a flush of anger rise to her cheeks, the sensation accompanied by utter disgust. “In that case, you better laugh now while you still can! Kurama will be back any minute now to take care of all of you, no matter how many hostages you use against him!”

        The green demon hovered in front of Botan’s face then bopped her on the forehead, causing her to yelp and jerk back more from surprise than pain. “Silly, silly Grim Reaper.”

        “You don’t know anything,” the orange demon said.

        “I know more than–” Botan stopped, her eyes growing wide. “Wait, you know that I’m a…” The giggling of the two demons answered her unfinished question. “So you knew who we were all along?”

        The orange demon stuck out her tongue. “Maybe.”

        “Mamma figured it out,” the green demon said. “Mamma is the smartest ever!”

        “Mamma figured out who you are,” the orange demon said. “ _And_ who Kurama is.”

        The green demon waved her hand at Botan. “Mamma has plans for him and Hiei and that silly looking human with a sword too.”

        “ _And_ the Spirit Detective.” The orange demon flashed a sharp-toothed grin.

        Botan blurted out Amaya’s name unthinkingly before she realized that the two demons were talking about Yusuke. She practically bit her tongue, hoping that they did not realize the meaning behind her slip. If Irokafue was expecting Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara to appear at any moment then perhaps she could use that somehow…

        The orange demon tilted her body to the right, limbs dangling towards the ground. “Who’s Amaya?”

        The green demon mimicked the orange, tilting to the left. “Is that the priestess you brought?”

        “Mamma has no plans for her yet,” the orange said. “Not until Mamma can break that barrier.”

        “But she’s a stupid human woman so Mamma will probably do the same thing to her that we do to all the others,” the green said.

        Botan felt certain that she did not want to know what they meant, but found herself asking all the same. “Others?”

        The demons merely flashed matching grins at her and giggled, their voices high pitched and squeaky.

        Botan slowly cast her gaze towards the crowd of workers, a terrible notion forming at the back of her mind. She failed to notice it earlier, but now that the demons had brought her attention to it, she found that none of the controlled humans were female. “What… what did you do to the women?”

        “You’ll see,” the demons said as one, dragging out the words in a grating parody of singing.

        The faint sound of a woman’s shriek made Botan jump then wince, as the sudden movement reminded her of the injury on her back with a rush of pain. At first, she feared that it was Amaya who made such blood curdling screams, or some helpless woman under Irokafue’s thrall, but when the demons cried out for their mother, she identified the owner of the voice. She allowed herself a smirk, feeling victorious. “You see? I’ll bet that was Kurama taking care of your mother right now. You better just give up quietly if you know what’s good for you.”

        The green and orange demons did not move, their expressions shifting from horror to blank. They remained suspended in front of Botan, completely unmoving and unaffected by the breeze that slid through the alley and teased strands of her hair across her face.

        Botan found her cheer faltering due to the demons’ unnerving behavior. She decided if they were no longer able to move now that Irokafue was dead, or at least they were no longer paying attention, then this was the best time to make her escape. She tugged her arms experimentally, but the workers’ grip did not weaken in the slightest. She wrenched herself towards the ground, pouring her Spirit Energy into her muscles to give strength to her movements beyond normal human capability. She grit her teeth to suppress the urge to scream when the searing pain from the line of burnt flesh marring her back flared due to her violent movements. The agony was nearly unbearable, but somehow she managed to persevere and slipped from the workers’ strong fingers.

        Botan allowed herself a small, breathless whoop of triumph, even if her voice contorted due to the ache that throbbed just below her shoulder blades. A look towards the boy she had attempted to rescue, still unconscious and ensnared by two men, left her victory a little hollow. She was not sure if she could pry the boy free without hurting him. Her wrists were a dark and angry red from where her captors held her, hinting at bruising that would come later. _Having a human body can be so difficult to deal with sometimes._

        A nervous glance towards the two demons verified to Botan that they stopped paying attention to the world around them, as they did not attempt to recapture her. The controlled workers stood as if they were part of the scenery, save for their eyes, which continued to twitch in a way that made the reaper feel distinctly ill. The silence felt oppressive with so many still bodies standing around her. “Why isn’t it wearing off yet?”

        The sound of a shakuhachi playing an eerie melody served to answer Botan. The music itself was faint, but somehow the notes reverberated in her bones, causing an unpleasant tension to form in her muscles. She jerked back when she saw a few of the workers standing around her move then found her legs tugging her back in the direction of the warehouse where the humans were heading. “What on Earth? _!_ ”

        A strange heaviness settled on her mind, making everything Botan saw and heard less distinct. She did her best to keep her focus, adrenaline fueling her desperate bid for awareness. Her legs moved against her will, carrying her along with the mob of workers. She wrenched her body backwards, trying to regain control, but a spasm of pain exploded through her back, tearing a choked whimper from her throat.

        When Botan recovered her wits, she focused her Spirit Energy on the wound, working to heal it quickly so that it would not interfere with her attempts to break free from the involuntary movements of her limbs. She regretted not taking the time to improve her healing or psychic abilities, as the latter would have helped her resist the spell of the bamboo flute. She guessed that the only reason she was conscious, unlike the people around her, was thanks to that skill and because her real body was more ghostly than physical.

        The second the pain died down, Botan increased her struggles anew, gritting her teeth as her motions aggravated the wound. “There’s no way I’m letting you use me as a hostage again!” she said between grunts.

        The shakuhachi continued to play its siren song, heedless of Botan’s resistance and shouts. The aqua haired girl managed to slow her movements, but she was unable to stop herself completely. A crushing wave of despair overcame her when she returned to the warehouse and saw that not only was Irokafue alive, but Amaya’s Territory was under attack. The wall of bodies surrounding the barrier was so dense that Botan was unable to see the Spirit Detective at all. The reaper’s eyes darted about for any sign of vibrant red hair, but to her dismay, Kurama was nowhere in sight.

        Irokafue smiled around the bamboo flute as she turned her head towards Botan. The expression she wore gave the reaper chills, prompting Botan to struggle with greater ferocity, heedless of the pain. The pink-eyed girl had managed to force her foot back a few centimeters before two of the workers seized her by the shoulders. “Not again!” Botan said, practically moaning.

        Irokafue lowered the shakuhachi. Botan would have felt relieved, but her body still resisted her efforts to move freely. The silver demon chuckled, a low and rumbling sound, before she turned her attention towards the barrier. “Cow! I have your butcher! If you do not release my babies then it is _she_ whom shall decorate these walls with blood!”

        Botan was left baffled briefly by the terms Irokafue used. When she realized what the flute-playing demon meant, a scowl marred her features. “Butcher? How dare you! You’re the one doing despicable things like kidnapping children and using innocent people as hostages and trying to kill us!”

        Amaya’s strained voice barely rose above the din of weapons striking the border of her Territory. “Botan? Are you okay? Is Kurama with you?”

        “I’m fine!” Botan said. “Whatever she tells you, don’t listen to her! Kurama will save us!”

        “I offer you a deal,” Irokafue said. “Submit to be slaughtered like the foolish lamb you are and I shall release Spirit World’s emissary of death. Resist and I shall subject you to a fate far more cruel!”

        “No, don’t!” Botan said. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me! Even if they kill me, I won’t _really_ die because this isn’t my real body! Just stay put and wait for Kurama, no matter what you hear!” While her words were technically the truth, the situation was not quite so simple. Dying held a risk, even to a Grim Reaper wearing a human form, but she was not about to let herself be used against her comrades again. “Besides, we… we have backup coming! Hiei and Kuwabara, and even Yusuke!” She gave the silver demon her best smug expression. “If you heard about Kurama then you must know about them, right? They’ll be here any minute, so you best just let us go right now!”

        Irokafue slowly turned her head towards Botan. The aqua haired girl struggled to keep her composure, but the blazing eyes of the silver demon seemed to burn into her very core, as though seeing through her empty threats as the lies they were. “If it is as you say,” Irokafue said, speaking in a halting, mocking tone, “then perhaps I need to _force_ your stupid lamb to throw herself to the wolves.”

        The melody of the shakuhachi resounded through Botan’s body, more potent than before. The men restraining her loosened their hold as the mob around the barrier parted, granting a view of Amaya and the captive children. The reaper grit her teeth until her jaw hurt, focusing everything she could into keeping still despite how the music urged her muscles to act against her will. Her right arm raised, trembling due to her resistance, then began to twist counter-clockwise. The injury to her back flared, but soon it became insignificant when compared to the pain in her shoulder, which felt as though it her arm was tearing itself right out of its socket. She struggled to hold back a scream, but when her shoulder let out a sickening pop, the agony that flooded through her body proved to be too much. She dimly heard Amaya cry out her name, but her attention focused on her arm as it now dangled at her side, dislocated.

        Irokafue paused in her playing to laugh, a loud, scornful sound that filled the warehouse more potently than her music. She smirked as she tilted her head towards Amaya, taking in the pale, wide-eyed expression on the dark haired girl’s face. “Does the stupid cow see the power that is Irokafue? Not even Spirit World can resist me! Remain where you are and I shall have your beloved butcher break her body to pieces until she begs for death to release her from her weak human skin!”

        Botan only half-heard Irokafue’s taunt, but the part of her that could think despite the pain and the influence of the bamboo flute knew the intent behind the words. “Don’t!” she said, forcing her voice to work despite its cracking. “Don’t do it!”

        Irokafue ran her nails along the contours of her grinning face. “The Grim Reaper wishes for death, but it will not be granted. I shall show her the suffering of a thousand hells!”

        Amaya shuddered as Irokafue laughed once more. Worse than the silver demon’s threats and glee, were Botan’s half-coherent pleas that the Spirit Detective leave her guide to be tortured right before her eyes. Amaya’s mind was in a state of chaos, alternating between panic and the desperate need for a plan. _I have to save Botan. Oh God, how do I… She’s being controlled like them! If I go out there then… but I can’t just sit here and…_

        The sound of the shakuhachi raised the hairs on the back of Amaya’s neck. She bit her lower lip hard enough for it to bleed, as she watched Botan fight in vain to resist its control. _The orb, I need to hit it! I need to hit it! Now!_ Her only chance was to use the Spirit Gun, but with how much Spirit Energy she had used so far, she doubted that she could gather up enough power on her own in time to take the shot. With trembling fingers, she pulled the Concentration Ring from her right hand, jerking instinctively against the fresh wave of pain that came from dragging the pointy metal against burnt flesh. Eyes half-clouded with tears, she tried to make her blackened fingers take a hold of the ring, so she could slip it onto her left index finger, only to drop the precious tool with a tiny clink.

        Amaya lunged for the Concentration Ring, snatching it before it rolled too far away just as Botan let out another blood-curdling shriek. Almost against her will, she raised her eyes to see her guide’s wrist bend backwards until Botan’s fingers nearly touched the dislocated arm. Amaya wrenched her gaze away, wincing in sympathy at the ghastly sight. She used the concrete to keep the ring steady so that she could work it on with only one hand.

        Irokafue clucked her tongue once Botan went quiet. She curled her lip when she looked her captive over. The reaper breathed heavily, face lightly flushed and damp with perspiration. “Pathetic,” the silver demon said. “For a supposed ‘master’ of death, you cannot suffer living, can you? I have yet to break bones or spill blood, yet you act as though you are dying. I expected much more from a Grim Reaper.”

        Botan raised her head, the action taking no small effort, and stared hard at Irokafue through half closed eyes. “You’re… one to talk… Can’t even do anything… without using _children_!”

        Irokafue sucked in air through her teeth in a wet hiss before bringing the shakuhachi to her lips. Botan failed to suppress a moan as her injured body began to move, dreading what torture the silver demon had planned for her next.

        Amaya braced her arm against the floor when she aimed her finger at Irokafue, using her thumb as a gun sight. She would only have one shot, possibly one second when she lowered the barrier. She had to hit.

        The moment before Amaya steeled herself to fire, Botan moved in the way, blocking her view of Irokafue. The Spirit Detective quickly pulled back her energy so that she would not risk the Spirit Gun going off and killing the aqua haired girl. Their eyes met in a shared look of desperation, as Irokafue forced Botan to strike the periphery of Amaya’s Territory with her injured arm. Botan managed to suppress her urge to cry out after the first two strikes, but the third was too much to bear.

        Once Amaya overcame the initial horror, she saw a small window of opportunity. She shoved her hand into her bag and pumped as much of her Spirit Energy into the marbles as she could. By the fourth strike of Botan’s arm, the Spirit Detective had torn off her belt bag and flung its contents just outside her Territory, sending them in a mostly straight line from the reaper to Irokafue. Amaya remembered Botan’s suggestion from what felt like a lifetime ago – the idea of creating a circle from throwing marbles. As soon as the tiny spheres of glowing glass slowed she sought out circular shapes where they rested, imagining connecting their bits of energy as she did the tips of her umbrella. It was more difficult than she anticipated, likely hindered by distance, the irregular placement, lack of experience, and her decreased Spirit Energy.

        The large Territory Amaya made shattered under the stress of pouring all her power into the experimental technique, causing Botan to fall forward just as the reaper was about to strike the barrier a fifth time. Botan fell into a new Territory, one much smaller and more oval that barely gave her room to hit the floor when Irokafue’s control over her ended as abruptly as severing a marionette’s strings. She nearly wept with relief and looked to Amaya, ready to cheer her protégé for the rescue, but the expression on the Amaya’s face rendered her silent.

        Making a Territory around Botan had not been the Spirit Detective’s only plan. Amaya had tried to form two shields – one around Botan and the other around Irokafue. The first worked, but she had been too slow to create the dome around the silver demon. Irokafue had spotted it growing around her and lunged upward, high enough to reach the warehouse ceiling, before landing lightly away from the marbles scattered across the floor. The silver demon smirked as she took in the growing panic playing across the dark haired girl’s face.

        “I win,” Irokafue said.

        Amaya scrambled to a standing position while focusing her energy into her finger. Botan was in the way. She had to get around the reaper and fire her Spirit Gun. She had barely made it to her feet before Irokafue was suddenly there, striking her across the cheek with an open palm that felt more like a punch. Long nails sliced lines of blood across half her face, just barely missing her left eye. The force of the blow sent her crashing into the floor, her elbow and shoulder sustaining the brunt of the impact.

        “You do not deserve a beautiful face, filthy cow,” Irokafue said before licking the blood from her fingers. “But do not worry. You need not worry about marriage after I am through with you.”

        Botan banged her good fist against the barrier around her as she watched Amaya hit the floor. “Amaya!”

        Amaya did not move. As soon as she recovered her wits, she focused on her Spirit Gun. There was no way to make a new Territory fast enough to protect herself without any additional tools. She had to put all her faith in the technique Botan taught her. Her focus fled her mind when Irokafue stepped on her burnt hand, leaving little but the sensation of pain.

        “Still you struggle,” Irokafue said, “like a fat pig covered in filth.” She raised the bamboo flute to her lips as she removed her foot from Amaya. “Though you do not deserve it, I shall honor your spirit, and grant you a small note of happiness. I shall make you kill your butcher before I have you slaughter yourself.”

        The scene unfolded much like a horror movie to Botan. Amaya shuddered from head to toe as the chilling melody began anew. “Fight it, Amaya!” If Amaya heard the reaper, she did not show it, as her eyelids dipped lower, already heavy from fatigue, eyes darting about from place to place. “No!”

        The Spirit Detective’s movements were slow while she rose to her feet, as though drawn out to amplify the terrible puppet show that Irokafue was performing. Energy drew to her fingertip, amplified by the Concentration Ring, until virtually everything centered in one glowing blue point. Botan pleaded, even after the Territory protecting her shattered and she felt her body grow heavy from Irokafue’s control reasserting itself over her as well. Amaya raised her arm in the reaper’s general direction, eyes still unfocused.

        Botan screamed Amaya’s name with every ounce of air in her body, praying that it would somehow reach the blue-eyed girl. Her eyes skewed shut, unable to watch any longer.

        The Spirit Gun discharged and the sound of an explosion rang out through the warehouse, accompanied by the pungent stench of an artificial compound burning. Botan found herself knocked to the side by a strong burst of heat that caused her to land painfully on her dislocated arm. She groaned as she recovered from the fall then realized a moment later that she had not been hurt beyond aggravating her wounds. Amaya did not shoot her.

        Botan raised her head and saw Irokafue lying a couple meters away, smoke emanating from the second crater scorched into her chest. The silver demon was no longer moving, not even to draw breath. The controlled workers were sprawled on the ground in limp heaps, their eyes finally closed completely. The reaper frantically sought out Amaya, who lay on the ground in the opposite direction of the fallen Irokafue. “Amaya!” Somehow, she managed the strength to push herself to her feet and moved to the dark haired girl’s side. “Are you okay?”

        Amaya used her elbow to roll onto her back so that she could give Botan a weak smile. Her left hand was nearly as blackened as the right, the burns mostly focused around the tip of her index finger. “Sorry… I scared you… but it was the only way to get close enough to hit her.”

        For a moment, Botan could only stare at Amaya, her expression a mixture of relief laced with confusion, but then understanding dawned, replacing those emotions with shock. “Wait, you were _faking_? _How_? Not even I could resist her control, and I’m not really human!”

        “I don’t know,” Amaya said with a deep sigh. Her eyelids dipped low, heavy from lack of energy and the intense stress she had just undergone. “I didn’t really feel _anything_ … but I knew I had to pretend, or she would have just killed me… then you.”

        Botan shook off her surprise and shared her sunniest smile with Amaya. “Oh, who cares _how_ it happened. I’m just glad it did. You did it, Amaya! You saved everyone!”

        Despite the tremendous strain Amaya had gone through, her smile grew a little stronger as she closed her eyes. “I did, didn’t I? I’m so glad…”

        “You go ahead and get some rest now,” Botan said softly. “Kurama and I will take care of everything from here.” She watched Amaya a few moments more, until the blue-eyed girl’s breathing grew deep and even, a sure sign that Amaya was getting some well deserved sleep.

        Botan inhaled deeply and returned to her feet, mindful of her arm and back, then surveyed the surroundings. The humans appeared none the worse for wear, despite the ordeal. To her delight, she saw that this included the children. The greasy black film and glowing flames were gone, leaving healthy skin in all the normal shades. Her keen senses could spot the tell tale signs of Spirit Energy that indicated that they were alive and healthy, though she doubted they would regain consciousness any time soon.

        “Well, that’s that, I suppose,” Botan said. “Now all that’s left is to wait for Kurama to get back. I hope that purple one didn’t give him too much trouble…”

        A loud pop caught Botan’s attention. She turned quickly to its source to find a small round demon hovering not far away, where Irokafue’s body had been only moments ago. It seemed similar to the six colorful demons she saw previously, save for the fact that it was gleaming silver with two circular smoky patches on its chest. “How _dare_ you!” the demon said in a high, squeaky voice, as though Irokafue had breathed in too much helium. “Look what you did to me! You ruined everything!”

        Despite everything Botan had suffered, a small giggle escaped her lips. A second later, it turned into full-blown laughter, as the absurdity of the transformation seemed completely out of place after all the terrible things that had happened.

        Irokafue growled, her small body quivering with rage. “I’ll kill you!”

        Botan managed to compose herself just before Irokafue charged. She might not have been particularly strong or fast when compared to her friends, and one of her arms was out of commission, but the silver demon was far slower than before. This allowed Botan to reach into her subspace and pull out a gleaming metal bat just in time for her to take a mighty swing at the demon. There was a satisfying clang as the bat made contact, sending Irokafue flying out the hole in the warehouse wall. The reaper rested the bat lightly at her side and watched in satisfaction as the silver demon smashed into the warehouse across the street. The gratifying action allowed her to ignore how the swing made her back and arm ache anew. She was no fighter, but she did have a ways to defend herself when she was on her game. “ _Man_ that felt good.”

        Irokafue pushed herself up with her stubby arms, shaking to clear her head. She swiveled about to glare at Botan. “Why you… You’re dead!”

        The elegant but rough voice of Kurama, still in his full demon form, drew Irokafue’s attention from the reaper. “I’m afraid you have that backwards.”

        Irokafue whipped around and found herself staring up at the threatening figure of one of the most infamous and powerful thieves in all of Demon World. Kurama the Yoko was legendary for his cruelty, particularly to his enemies, and the look he gave her silently promised that he fully intended to live up to his reputation.

        Botan could not bear to watch as Kurama dispatched the silver demon for good. She had seen enough of his work when he was angry to know that whatever he did would be something particularly gruesome. The unpleasant sounds she tried ineffectively to block out with one hand were more than enough after everything they had gone through.

        When silence descended upon the warehouse, Botan allowed herself to feel the first real sense of relief she had since the case began and exhaled deeply. “What a day…” She turned her weary gaze to Amaya. “And what a first impression.”


	6. Sixth Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         The aftermath of the battle weighs on the minds of the Spirit Detective group. Irokafue is defeated, but the damage she inflicted still lingers. It's time to seek some assistance; the problems in Mushiyori appear to be only just beginning.
> 
>  
> 
> * * *

        Irokafue was dead – Kurama made certain of that. When he destroyed her remains, the tattered scraps of the blue, red, and yellow demons burst into white flame before disintegrating to ash.

        With the threat gone, the anger that fueled Kurama’s transformation began to wane, but the sight of his companions’ injuries ensured that enough would remain should he need the power of his yoko body again. He had completely reverted to his human state by the time he joined Botan at Amaya’s side. “How badly are you both injured?”

        Botan held a red handkerchief that used to be white over the wounds on Amaya’s face. She raised her eyes to Kurama and gave him a weak smile. “I’ll be alright I think. No broken bones at least. I’m more worried about Amaya. What that witch did to her face was horrible enough, but her hands…”

        Kurama noted how Botan’s right arm hung limp at an odd angle before he focused his attention on Amaya. He could not see the extent of the injuries to the Spirit Detective’s face, but her hands suffered severe burns. The right had been blackened worse than the left, but the damage on the right ended just past the wrist, while the burns along the left extended beyond her elbow, the sleeves of her jacket and sweater tattered and scorched on that side. The most disquieting thing was the fact that the burns were saturated with Irokafue’s demonic energy. It was hard to say for sure what affect it would have on the girl – especially considering Amaya’s unusual nature – but given the silver demon’s abilities, he had no doubt that it would be unpleasant for everyone concerned if they did not take care of it quickly. “We should take her to see Genkai.”

        Botan nodded, her smile disappearing. “That’s just what I was thinking. If my arm wasn’t messed up I’d fly her there right now on my oar, or at least put some bandages on her. I mean we can’t just carry her onto the train or call a taxi. We could call an ambulance, I suppose, but even if we did they’d want to just take her to a human hospital instead, and we both know regular doctors wouldn’t be able to do anything to help with injuries caused by demons.” She glanced around with a grimace. “Not to mention there’s all these people to take care of. I’ve got to report this to Spirit World before the authorities come by on their own. Their Spirit Energy seems okay, but–”

        “Botan,” Kurama said, cutting off Botan’s rambling with a raised but gentle voice. “Calm down. It’s alright. Let me help you get your arm back into place first. After that, you can contact Spirit World while I carry Amaya to Genkai’s home. I can get her there quickly.”

        Botan’s shoulders began to slump until a flare of pain reminded her of her injury. She yelped and rubbed her dislocated shoulder. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

        Kurama took hold of Botan’s upper arm, which resulted in a flinch from the aqua haired girl. “On three.” He waited until she braced herself against the concrete with her good hand. “One…”

        A bolt of pain flared through Botan’s shoulder, accompanied by an unpleasant sounding pop. She cried out and grabbed her shoulder, which was now properly back in its socket, then glared at Kurama with tears welling at the corners of her eyes. “I thought you said you’d do it on _three_!”

        Kurama had the grace to look apologetic even as the corner of his mouth rose in a small smile. “Sorry, but it’s less painful when you don’t expect it.”

        Botan huffed and looked away, her cheeks puffing as her lower lip jutted out. “Okay, I _guess_ that makes sense… but I don’t have to like it!”

        Kurama exhaled in a way that almost sounded like a brief note of laughter. He had a feeling that Botan’s anger was more for show than any genuine resentment towards him for his actions. He removed his uniform jacket and lightly draped it across her shoulders. “Here, put this on.”

        Botan felt her agitation bleed away at the gesture, confusion growing in its place. “What for?”

        “Your back is exposed,” Kurama said. “It would be better if you covered up until you have a chance to heal yourself further.”

        Botan blinked slowly at Kurama. Her back continued to ache, but she had healed most of the damage already, or at least she thought so. There was a large hole burnt through her shirt that left most of her back bare, but the chilly early February air helped more than hurt her. In fact, the only thing irritating her injury was her movements and the back of her bra, which barely survived the flames…

        Realization hit Botan like a semi-truck on an icy road with no breaks. Her cheeks turned a healthy shade of pink before she began to sputter. She slipped on Kurama’s jacket as hastily as she dared while muttering a quiet word of thanks.

        Although Kurama’s smile to Botan was both genuine and convincing, he could not dismiss the anger festering inside of him. Irokafue and her brood were dead, but not before they dealt serious harm to his comrades. The worst part was that the demons only succeeded because they outmaneuvered him and forced him to separate from the girls so that he could not protect them. Had his companions not somehow found a way to weaken Irokafue, they would both be dead. The fact that the demons brainwashed, murdered, and consumed countless innocent people only served to grind salt into the demon fox’s metaphorical wound. Had he not been so concerned about the consequences of leaving Irokafue alive, he would have damned her to a similar fate as the older Toguro brother.

* * *

        In her dreams, Amaya watched the battle with Irokafue replay itself on an endless loop, the outcome constantly changing. In many scenarios, Botan died a terrible death in front of her at the hands of the silver demon, or, worse, by her hands controlled by the shakuhachi. She saw the talisman fail to free the possessed boy, killing him. Any number of the hostages killed by one circumstance or another, losing her hands completely in the orbs’ explosions or an eye to Irokafue’s claws, and even Kurama falling in battle – they all painted awful pictures that filled her mouth with bile when she finally awakened.

        The aching of her hands served to distract Amaya from the acidic taste and reminded her that they were still there. Upon opening her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar wooden ceiling and a rice paper screen door to her side, much like the ones in her aunt’s home. She was warm, covered by a thick blanket, with her head propped up by a low pillow, and a spongy mat beneath her back. It was not the cloud-like softness of her bed, but the futon was a welcome comfort compared to the warehouse’s cold and rigid concrete floor.

        Amaya breathed out slowly, her muscles gradually going lax. The battle really was over. She defeated Irokafue and now she and Botan were safe. The children and factory workers were free of Irokafue’s spell. The only real questions pressing on her mind now were if Kurama had made it out okay, where she was, and where he and Botan were.

        Amaya turned her head to get a better look at the room and to seek out her guide. Her voice cracked when she spoke due to her parched throat. “Botan?”

        A pleasant female voice answered, but it was not the one Amaya had been expecting to hear. “Oh good, you’re finally awake.”

        Amaya jerked at the unfamiliar voice and nearly sat up, but thought better of it. The pain that saturated her hands was significantly less intense than it was before she passed out, but she was not eager to apply pressure on them if she could avoid it. Instead, she inclined her head towards where she heard the voice come from.

        A rather cute, petite girl in a baby blue kimono moved into Amaya’s range of vision before kneeling beside the Spirit Detective’s head. The girl had long, somewhat unruly turquoise hair tied back into a low ponytail with a frilled red ribbon. She looked at Amaya with dark red eyes that held a surprising amount of gentleness, which matched her kind smile. Her voice was as warm as her expression. “How are you feeling?”

        “Relieved,” Amaya said. She found the girl’s appearance comforting, not simply because of the kindly expression and tone, but the vibrant colors of the girl’s eyes and hair suggested that this person too was associated with Spirit World. “We really did defeat that–”

        Amaya choked on her words as she noticed something about the girl that she had been too distracted to detect initially. She reared back from the girl while pushing herself up by her elbows. “Demon!”

        The girl flinched backwards, startled by Amaya’s reaction, then held up her hands in a placating manner. “Wait, it’s okay! I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not related to any of the evil demons you fought before. I’m a friend of Botan and Kurama.” The girl showed the faintest signs of relief when the Spirit Detective stopped attempting to stand up despite being injured, focusing rapt attention upon her. “I’m sorry I startled you, Miss Mamori. My name is Yukina. I’m an Ice Apparition from Demon World, but Spirit World has been kind enough to give me permission to stay here in Human World.”

        For a moment, Amaya debated if she should take Yukina’s words at face value, but then the memory of her embarrassing first meeting with Kurama came back to her, bringing with it an unpleasant heat in her cheeks. She silently chastised herself for repeating the same mistake twice. “O-oh. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a bit… on edge after what happened before. The demon we fought was…” At the back of her mind, the memory of Irokafue’s laughter rang out, mingling with Botan’s agonized screams. “…Horrible.”

        Yukina cast Amaya a sympathetic gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I heard a little about what happened to you. I’m glad you, Botan, and Kurama managed to make it through okay and rescue all those poor humans.”

        Amaya allowed herself to relax ever so slightly at the news. “So everyone really is okay?”

        Yukina nodded, her expression brightening a bit. “Yes. Kurama brought you here around four hours ago and he seemed just fine to me. Botan arrived about an hour after he did. I think she said she was delayed because she had to make sure all the humans that were hurt were taken care of. She said that Spirit World sent people to make sure that they got home okay and they shouldn’t have any lasting damage from what the demons did to them.”

        Amaya let out a breath she did not realize she had been holding during Yukina’s explanation. “Thank goodness.”

        “Master Genkai treated your hands for you,” Yukina said. “And I took over once she finished purging the demon energy that was there. Your face is all fixed up, but you should probably stay a little while longer so we can finish healing your hands. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fully recovered by tomorrow afternoon.”

        Amaya reached up to feel her cheek where the cuts used to be, stopping just short of her healed skin when she reminded herself that touching anything would only bring further pain. White bandages covered her burns completely, wrapped in layers thick enough to hinder her movements, but she supposed that would be more to her benefit, as it would keep her from aggravating her injuries. She noticed that she was no longer wearing her sweater or jacket and was instead dressed in a white short-sleeved kimono. Despite telling herself not to touch anything with her burnt hands only a moment earlier, she felt along her neck to verify that her choker was missing.

        Yukina noticed the look of panic that flickered across Amaya’s face after the dark haired girl examined the kimono. “I hope you don’t mind that I changed your clothes while you slept. They were covered in blood and were in the way. They’re in the wash right now if you’re worried about them.”

        Amaya held her hand over her naked throat, forcing herself to ignore how even the slight pressure brought pain with it. “It’s… it’s okay. I understand, it’s just…” She found herself unable to meet Yukina’s gaze “I know it’s silly, but I really don’t feel comfortable unless I’m wearing something around my neck.”

        “Oh,” Yukina said. The notion struck her as strange, but she felt no need to question it. She untied the ribbon from her hair and offered it to Amaya. “Will this do?”

        Amaya felt guilt flush through her over her initial reaction to Yukina’s demonic nature when the red-eyed girl was being so generous and kind to her. She gave Yukina a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

        Yukina did not place the ribbon in Amaya’s outstretched hand as the blue-eyed girl expected, but instead moved behind Amaya. “Let me put it on. You shouldn’t use your hands until they’re healed.”

        Amaya’s blush darkened. “Oh, right.” She reluctantly lowered her hand from her throat and tried not to squirm as Yukina brushed her hair aside and exposed her neck. She shivered as the ice demon’s cool fingers touched her skin to tie on the ribbon and only managed to relax when Yukina moved away from her. She traced the edges of the ribbon to make sure it was snug. “Thank you for all your help.” She spared a brief glance at Yukina before fixing her gaze on her lap, biting her tongue to prevent herself from apologizing again for being initially alarmed at the other girl’s demonic nature.

        “You’re welcome,” Yukina said, a note almost like laughter in her voice. “I’m just glad that I can help. Kurama and Botan have done so much for me, and I’m happy to help them and their friends in any way I can.”

        Amaya glanced at Yukina as the red-eyed girl sat down beside her and shared a smile with her. A little more at ease, she shifted her attention to their surroundings. The room was square and small, each wall the length of one and a half tatami mats, which was just big enough to house the futon, a chest of drawers, a low table, and an electric lamp placed in one of the corners. There were two screen doors – the one at her side that she spotted earlier, and the other was set in the wall past her feet. She guessed that one of the doors led outside while the other opened up to a closet. “Where am I?”

        “You’re in Master Genkai’s home,” Yukina said. “You’re from Mushiyori City, right?” She waited for Amaya to nod. “Well, I’m not sure how far away that is in terms of miles or kilometers, but I do know that it takes hours to get to the nearest town and a while longer to get from there to Mushiyori.”

        “Wait,” Amaya said slowly. “If it takes hours to get here and I’ve been here for four hours…” She glanced towards the screen door she believed led outside, taking in how no light shone through the rice paper. Panic started to bloom inside her. “Oh _crap!_ Mama and Papa must be out of their _minds_ worrying about me! Please tell me it’s at least not past midnight yet.”

        Yukina felt both concerned and a little off balance. She had not had to deal with worrying about a parent for quite some time. “No. It’s only eight o’clock.”

        Amaya went still, staring intently at Yukina. “Eight?” She thought back to when she last checked the time on her cell phone. “That can’t be right, can it? We got to the warehouse district after two and I might have lost track of time during the battle, but it felt like it lasted a long time… Even if we say it was over at three – which I doubt – that means it took only an hour to get here.”

         “Some demons can go very fast when they want to,” Yukina said. “Especially if they’re very powerful. I imagine Kurama managed to bring you here not too long after you received your injuries.”

        Amaya raised a finger into the air. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it again and lowered her hand. She thought back to the earlier battle and how she had been unable to keep up with Kurama’s movements much of the time. “O…kay. I guess that makes sense. He _is_ incredibly fast, and strong, and apparently has amazing stamina.” She resisted the urge to rub her temples, leaning back a bit instead. _This is going to take some getting used to._ She glanced towards the screen door before focusing her gaze back on Yukina. “So where is he now? And where’s Botan? How are they doing?”

        Yukina cast her gaze towards the ceiling, her expression thoughtful. “I don’t think Kurama was injured, or at least if he was, he certainly hid it well. As for Botan, I saw some bruises on her wrists, but she said that they’re not too bad so she’ll be able to heal them herself once she rests up a bit.”

        Amaya supposed that she should not have been surprised to hear that Botan had healing abilities. “That’s good to hear. When do you think I’ll be able to see them?”

        Yukina was unable to answer, as a gurgling growl caught both girls off-guard. Amaya blushed and lightly placed her hands over her stomach. “Excuse me,” the Spirit Detective said. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

        Yukina smiled gently and rose to her feet. “Dinner ended a while ago, but I can go find you something from the kitchen if you’d like.” She waited for Amaya to nod before she headed for one of the screen doors, opening it up to reveal an open-air walkway that allowed both girls a lovely view of a well kept outdoor garden and a clear sky glittering with stars. “I’ll let the others know that you’re awake.”

        “Thank you,” Amaya said. Just as Yukina started to close the door, the Spirit Detective remembered a crucial detail. “Would you please bring me my cell phone too? I need to call my parents so that they won’t worry about me.”

        “Okay,” Yukina said. After shutting the door, she wondered what a cell phone was. It brought to mind a cage with a phone inside it, like the phone booths she saw in the city once. She shook off the image, as she realized that could not be what Amaya was talking about. A phone booth was not something that a human could carry around so casually. She decided to ask Botan about the matter. The reaper knew much more about Human World and their curious customs and gadgets than she did.

        Once the sound of Yukina’s steps faded to nothing, Amaya returned her attention to her bandaged hands. She skewed her eyes shut as she brought her arm over her face and sighed. The memory of the battle played itself behind her eyelids, with thoughts of her dream serving as a cheerful reminder of what might have happened if any number of things had gone wrong. _I will get better at this… Won’t I?_

* * *

        The main room of the house was quiet, save for the distant rhythmic clunk of hollow bamboo striking stone in the fountain of the koi pond outside. The master of the house, Genkai, held a cup of steaming hot green tea between her hands and drank slowly. Botan sat at the end of the table to the right of the short, elderly martial arts master, swirling the liquid in her half filled cup whenever she was not giving worried glances to the other two seated at her sides. Kurama watched Genkai’s expression with unwavering attention from his seat across the table from her, his cup of tea long since emptied.

        Genkai set her cup down with a clack that perfectly coincided with the striking of bamboo, and cast her sharp, dark brown eyes to the two supposed teenagers. “Seems you can’t even take a week off around here without another crisis popping up to bite you in the ass.” Her voice was as caustic as ever, but Botan and Kurama knew her well enough to notice traces of concern beneath the sarcasm. “It sounds to me like there’s been more going on in Mushiyori City than just the end of the world.”

        Botan set her cup down, tired of fiddling with it. “Do you think this has anything to do with Sensui?”

        “Doubt it,” Genkai said. “Sensui only had one real goal in mind – to get to Demon World and die. Unless he wanted to leave one last mess for Spirit World to clean up, he would’ve thrown those demons at us to buy him more time to open the portal.”

        “Agreed,” Kurama said. “Although I believe that it’s too soon to write off any possible connection between the two. I find it unlikely that Sensui knew nothing about the demonic activity in that city, given that he chose it to be the location to create the portal to Demon World and the fact that he was hunting for psychics there for about a month.”

        Botan grimaced, her insides twisting themselves into complicated knots. “I’m more concerned about the fact that Spirit World _didn’t_ know this was going on. Some of those children have been missing for years! And all those people in the factory…” Nausea choked off the rest of her words and she swallowed a generous mouthful of tea to wash the taste of bile from her mouth. She set the cup down with a clatter and focused on Kurama. “You’re _sure_ that none of them were still alive?”

        The muscles in Kurama’s face were tight, his expression stony, as he inclined his head in Botan’s direction but did not look into her eyes. “There was no trace of Spirit Energy left in any of the victims. The method of execution ensured that if they did not die from blood loss, they would die from a lack of oxygen to the brain.”

        Botan blanched at the mental image her imagination helpfully conjured up, and drank more tea to settle her nerves. She felt immensely grateful that she had merely been _told_ about what happened at the meatpacking plant and that she had not witnessed the inside of it for herself.

        Genkai hummed, the sound harsh due to the gravely nature of her voice. “This bunch sounds like real experts at keeping hidden and harvesting humans to me. Can’t imagine why they would let a loose cannon like Irokafue into their group.”

        Kurama reaffixed his attention sharply on Genkai as she took another sip of tea. “So you believe that there’s more to it than those seven as well?”

        Genkai’s eyes half closed as she fixed Kurama with a hard gaze over the rim of her cup, the corner of her mouth twisting, as though her tea had suddenly turned sour. “Anyone with half a brain could figure _that_ out. A hothead who depends that much on hostages and powerful weapons wouldn’t be able to wipe her own ass without help.”

        “The question is who,” Kurama said. “And, more importantly, _why_.”

        “You got me,” Genkai said before she drank more of her tea. “But it seems to me that whoever’s in charge set Irokafue up to take care of their food supply. Not even a small army of children turned into cannibals would need to eat that much meat all at once.”

        Botan flinched at the choice of words, but she did not doubt that it was the way those demons regarded their victims. “You don’t think it’s…” She hesitated, thinking back to Yusuke and his unfortunate circumstances. It felt like she was somehow betraying him as she forced the words out. “…The Mazoku… do you?”

        Genkai shrugged before picking up the kettle at the center of the table and refilled her cup. “Who knows? If three of them could just hop on over to have a nice little chat with Yusuke without King Yama catching them, I don’t see why there wouldn’t be others who decided to stick around for a twenty-four seven buffet. But that’s assuming it’s not just any other type of demon who happens to like the way we taste.”

        Kurama stared into the cup in front of him, as though contemplating the lingering remnants of tealeaves at the bottom. “There isn’t enough evidence to lead us to a culprit yet, just hints that there is a larger conspiracy going on that we’re only now starting to see. There is a chance that this could be related to what’s going on in Demon World, say perhaps one of the rulers decided to set up an outpost here before the war starts to gather supplies or for some strategic value. It’s possible it could be a new, previously unheard of fourth faction, who believe Human World is an excellent place to start their empire until they can make their move on Demon World.” He raised his head to look at the two ladies. “However, it’s just as likely that this is the work of a group who has an entirely different agenda, even if it’s merely to live here in secret where there is a constant supply of prey.”

        Botan let out a weary sigh, her shoulders slumping. She twitched as her shoulder ached from the action. “So in other words, it could be _anyone_ behind all this, and we won’t know _anything_ until they try something, or until Spirit World intelligence can track them down for us.”

        Kurama exhaled deeply as his eyes drifted closed. “That’s about the size of it, yes.”

        Botan groaned and held her hands over her face, elbows propped up on the table. “Great, this is just great. King Yama already has Spirit World on high alert because of what’s going on in Demon World. It’s bad enough that some demons got through the portal that we haven’t found yet, but now we might be dealing with the war from Demon World spilling into Human World for all we know. The worst part is we don’t have Yusuke or Hiei to help us on _this_ side of the barrier if it is true.”

        Genkai focused her gaze on Botan, the wavy strands of graying pink hair casting shadows over her eyes. “King Yama just might be running you all ragged because he _expected_ something like this to happen.”

        Kurama focused his attention squarely on Genkai. “You think so?”

        Genkai let out a short, humorless chuckle as she gave Kurama a faint smirk. “Don’t tell me the thought never crossed _your_ mind. King Yama was all hot about killing Yusuke or shipping him off to Demon World like a present _because_ he’s related to one of the rulers. We all know that dimwit couldn’t lead a herd of sheep across a room without losing half of them, let alone lead an army, but that doesn’t mean his ancestor couldn’t hijack his body again and level a few major cities as a warm up before setting up an invasion.”

        Kurama slowly raised an eyebrow. “Even if King Raizen’s desire was to avoid doing harm to humanity, which is Yusuke’s desire as well?”

        “I doubt that matters to someone like Yama,” Genkai said. “I’ve never known him to be the demon loving type. I’m actually surprised that he let _you_ stay, Kurama.”

        “We’ve come to… an _arrangement_ on the matter,” Kurama said.

        Genkai let out a quiet hum tinged with dry humor as she sipped her tea. “So you said earlier. You get to stick around with us and your family and all you have to do is just keep doing what you’ve been doing, but with some extra babysitting duties.”

        Botan felt her face flush hot as she slammed her hand on the table and straightened up. “Hey now! Just because I don’t fight and wound up being taken hostage doesn’t mean that Kurama is _babysitting_ me!”

        Genkai cast an odd look in Botan’s direction before she cocked an eyebrow, her expression turning deadpan. “I was talking about that girl Kurama brought here.”

        Words failed Botan, as mortification made her blush spread from her cheeks down to her neck. She muttered a somewhat incoherent apology mixed with a half-hearted excuse as she sat back down properly on her knees. Her shoulders slumped while her body scrunched, as though somehow she might find a way to shrink away and avoid the embarrassment she felt after making such a scene.

        Genkai watched Botan a moment more before her gaze shifted in the general direction of the guestroom where Amaya was resting. “That’s another thing I’ve been wondering about. King Yama’s excuse about needing a new Spirit Detective right now might not be that far off the mark, but there’s something else going on there.”

        Kurama leaned forward ever so slightly. “Master Genkai, when you treated Amaya earlier, were you able to sense anything at all from her? Do you have any idea how her Spirit Energy is being hidden?”

        Genkai rapped her fingers against the tabletop, creating a low, rhythmic drone. “Whoever did it was no amateur, I’ll give you that. Even when I was at my peak I don’t think I could’ve crafted seals as detailed as those.”

        Botan felt her embarrassment give way to curiosity. “Seals?”

        Kurama perked up at the word. “What sort of seals were you able to detect?”

        “Not as many as I’ll bet there are,” Genkai said, her voice low, almost a growl. “The ones I found are not like any I’ve seen before, but they’re close enough to some that are usually used when you want to cover up the fact that there are seals on something to begin with. Only someone who knows what to look for would’ve been able to find them.”

        Kurama considered this information for a few moments before speaking again. “Do you think you could remove those seals, if just temporarily, to find out what else is being used on Amaya?”

        Genkai gave Kurama a hard stare. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Of course I could. The question is if I should do it at all. I won’t be able to put them back after I take them off, even if it turns out we find something that we didn’t want to get out. We don’t know why those seals are there or what’ll happen once I start breaking them. Unless King Yama decides to let Botan off the hook and tell us everything, the only way we’ll find out otherwise is if the girl knows anything about it or if someone magically drops the answer in our laps.”

        Botan flinched at the reminder and squirmed in place when Genkai and Kurama focused their attention on her. She desperately wanted to tell her friends the truth about what she knew. It felt like a balloon inside her chest that kept expanding every minute she was unable to share this secret information, ready to burst at any moment. She bit back the urge to moan in frustration. _This is so unfair!_

        Kurama had considered the risks involved, of course, but he could not shake the suspicion that the seals hiding Amaya’s Spirit Energy were important somehow. There was a very real threat in the unknown, especially when it was a part of someone on their side. “Botan, I understand that what you can tell us is limited, but I imagine if King Yama felt that releasing the seals on Amaya was an unwise course of action, he would want you to warn us of the danger, correct?”

        Botan gnawed her lower lip as she thought about what she could tell her friends. There was so much and yet so little that she could actually say. She took a minute to choose her words with care, hoping desperately that King Yama was not watching, or at least that if he was that he would approve of her decision. “I… don’t know, to be honest. This is the first I’ve ever heard about any seals on Amaya.”

        Kurama cocked his head slightly. “I see.” He turned his attention back to Genkai. “So there’s nothing you can think of that would allow us to safely acquire more information about this?”

        The tapping of Genkai’s fingers increased its tempo while the aging master of the Spirit Wave technique considered the question. “You’d have to find someone who mastered the art of making seals. Unless we luck out and find a psychic out there who just _happens_ to have the power to make a Territory that strips away seals _only_ in their Territory…”

        Genkai’s hand stopped moving. Her gaze grew steely as she focused on Kurama. “I’ll admit you’ve got me wondering about what’s going on with that girl. There’s something strange about everything focusing on Mushiyori lately, from Sensui to these new demons to a untraceable Spirit Detective, and I’ll bet King Yama knows a lot more than he’s letting on. Probably even more than he’s letting Botan know.”

        Botan twitched before a sour expression twisted her lips. For a brief moment, she considered making some sort of retort on the matter, but nothing suitable came to mind, as a small part of her wondered the same thing.

        Genkai only spared Botan a brief glance before she returned her attention to Kurama. “This all seems like the tip of something much bigger, and this girl just _might_ be a part of it, either as a player or a pawn for our side or theirs. Now I know, unlike that dimwit, you actually know how to use your brain most of the time, but I’m going to warn you anyway about not getting carried away. We don’t need someone else trying to rely on dumb luck just because Yusuke isn’t here to do it for us.”

        Kurama chuckled softly at both the comment and his memories of some of Yusuke’s more _unique_ victories. “Actually I’d say some of those tactics have helped us rather well in the past, don’t you?” He waited for a moment to watch Genkai’s expression hover somewhere between a scowl and faint amusement. “You needn’t worry. I merely want to know what our options are at this point. I have no intention of doing anything drastic unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

        Genkai let out a short hum and sipped her tea. The severity of her expression did not waver.

        “Wait,” Botan said as she cast an incredulous look Genkai’s way. “You don’t think Amaya is somehow _involved_ with all the demons in Mushiyori City do you?” The silence that followed her question made her anxiety increase drastically. She looked from Genkai to Kurama and back again, seeking out some sign of uncertainty in their expressions. “She couldn’t be… right?”

        Genkai took her time in drinking her tea before she answered. “At this point we don’t know anything about what’s _really_ going on.”

        Kurama put on a smile to take the edge off Botan’s concerns. “Botan, you know more than either of us about the situation. Do _you_ think Amaya has anything to do with everything that’s been happening in Mushiyori?”

        “Absolutely not!” Botan said. She rose until she was practically on her feet as she slammed her hand hard against the table, causing the cups to rattle. “The fact that Amaya just _happens_ to come from Mushiyori has got to be a coincidence! Who cares if she’s got seals that make it impossible to sense her Spirit Energy… or tell that she has a human scent at all? That doesn’t mean it has anything to do with what’s going on! And the fact that she’s got no past and appeared right out of nowhere when she was a small child so we don’t even know if she really is human doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person! She nearly got herself killed repeatedly to save people, including me! So there’s no way that she could be involved in any of this! At least not by choice!”

        Kurama waited until Botan had finished her tirade, watching the pink-eyed girl pant quietly due to the extreme emotion in her speech for a few moments before he spoke in a soft voice. “I agree with you. If Amaya _is_ involved, beyond her role as Spirit Detective, I doubt it was her decision. However, it would be foolish to dismiss anything out of the ordinary at this point. Especially after so many people have already died.”

        Botan felt her anger shrivel at the reminder, and she practically collapsed back onto her knees with a sigh that came out as a near whimper. She felt, as the Spirit Detective’s guide, she should say more in Amaya’s defense, but the emotional whiplash after the rough day she went through made it hard for her to counter Kurama’s tactful reply.

        Genkai regarded Botan through one open eye as she finished off the last of her tea. “As much as I enjoy watching soap operas take place in my living room, I’ve had enough for one night.”

        “Agreed,” Kurama said.

        The three had barely started to rise to their feet when one of the screen doors slid open. Yukina stood in the doorway of the inside hallway, a troubled expression on her face. In her arms, she carefully balanced a tray of food, wisps of steam rising from the dishes. “Is everything alright, Botan? I heard you yelling from down the hall and I was wondering if something had happened.”

        Botan let out an awkward chuckle. “Sorry about that. Everything is fine.” She realized belatedly that she was outright lying to her friend, but she felt too tired to explain her reason for shouting. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up paranoid assumptions about Amaya and risk tainting Yukina’s view of the Spirit Detective before the ice demon had a chance to get to know Amaya as a person first. “So, what’s with the food? It’s a bit early for a midnight snack, isn’t it?”

        “It’s for Miss Mamori,” Yukina said. “She woke up a little while ago and she said she hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast so I offered to make her something to eat.”

        Fear seized Botan in a cold grip that squeezed her chest, as she wondered if Amaya might have heard her outburst as well. If so, how clear were her words after they passed through the relatively thin walls of Genkai’s house? “R-really?” She tried to smile, but her nervousness tainted the gesture. “That’s good, that’s good!” She moved quickly to Yukina’s side. “Why don’t you let _me_ take this to Amaya? I’m sure she has a lot she wants to talk to me about right away.” **_Especially_** _if she overheard anything I said about her._

        “Of course,” Yukina said as she passed the tray over to Botan. A moment later, her eyes lit up, as she recalled an important piece of information. “Oh yes, Miss Mamori was asking about her cage phone. Do you know where it is?”

        Botan blinked, baffled by the term. “Cage phone?”

        Kurama covered his mouth to stifle a chuckle. “I believe the term you’re looking for is _cell_ phone.” He pulled Amaya’s cell phone from his pants pocket. “I have it right here. I found it on the floor of the warehouse after the battle. Fortunately, it appears to be undamaged.” He helped Botan balance the tray while she accepted the cell phone.

        Yukina looked over the small rectangular plastic device before it disappeared into Botan’s subspace. “I’ve never seen a phone like that before. Where’s the receiver?”

        “The phone _is_ the receiver,” Botan said. She let out a small note of laughter when she noticed how the confusion on Yukina’s expression did not waver in the slightest, though her uncomfortable emotions still haunted her voice. “Remind me to explain it to you later.”

        “I’d be happy to explain it to you, Yukina,” Kurama said with a smile. “Go ahead and take the food to Amaya, Botan. I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”

        Botan cast Kurama a grateful look. She had been worried about how she could tell Yukina that she wanted a private conversation with Amaya without the request feeling awkward, or finding herself forced to explain her reasoning first. With that much of a burden off her shoulders, she managed to be more convincing in her cheer. “Will do!”

* * *

        In the outside walkway, Amaya dashed away from the main area of the house as quickly as she dared. The socks she wore and the flowing water of the pond’s fountain muffled the sound of her footsteps, but she did not want to risk someone inside the room hearing her retreat. The last thing she wanted to do was alert anyone that she accidentally overheard the others talking about her, especially when she had not intended to eavesdrop in the first place. She had merely been searching for a bathroom.


	7. Seven Minute Lull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         When keeping secrets among comrades, sometimes what isn't said can be just as troubling as what is. Botan has to find out just how much Amaya overheard, while Kurama experiences the downside of spying. Things only get more complicated when another member of the Spirit Detective group arrives.
> 
> * * *

        Botan made her way to the guestroom at deliberately slow pace to give herself time to think about what she wanted to say to Amaya. Even if the Spirit Detective failed to hear her shouting things that Amaya was not ready to learn about yet, the reaper had no doubt that the earlier battle would be a pressing concern for the teenage girl. Botan knew that she to provide damage control and encouragement, but she found herself faltering on both fronts thanks to her own worries.

        All too soon, Botan arrived at her destination. She hesitated outside the guestroom, staring at the vague shadows through the rice paper screen. A quiet sigh slipped from her lips, her warm breath creating a cloud of thin white mist in the cold night air. She was forced to admit that it was too much to hope she would find some form of inspiration by simply delaying the inevitable.

        Botan straightened up and raised her chin as she summoned all the good cheer she could muster. If nothing else, she refused to add to Amaya’s worries. She slid the door open with a clatter as she threw all of her energy into her melodious greeting, imitating the sound of a trumpet playing a victorious song. “Dinner is served!”

        The result was not one Botan had intended. Seeing Amaya jerk and tense up while staring at her with wide eyes made her wonder if she should have knocked first. She pressed on, knowing it was too late to take back her entrance now. “ _So!_ How’s my favorite Spirit Detective doing?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she felt an unwanted pang of guilt stab her heart while an image of Yusuke flashed in her mind. Even though she meant the words as a simple, cheerful platitude to put her charge at ease, for a brief moment she felt like a liar and a traitor.

        Amaya swallowed hard before she focused on the bandaged hands in her lap, her fingers slowly uncurling from the fists she held them in when Botan entered. Her answer came after a few tense seconds of silence. “Better.”

        Botan felt her nervousness grow, but she tried not to let it show on her face. The atmosphere between them was unusually tense, or at least it felt that way to her. The expression on the Spirit Detective’s face was one she imagined someone would probably wear when they overheard something they should not have. _Calm down, Botan. You’re overreacting. She’s probably just still shaken up from the battle. That’s all. That’s… all._ The chill from outside bit into her back and caused her to shiver.

        Amaya raised her eyes to meet Botan’s as the reaper closed the door. “What about you? Your arm…”

        Botan set the tray down on the floor beside Amaya and made a show of waving her right hand. “Oh it’s _fiiine_. Don’t you worry about little old me.” She rotated her arm, as though winding up for a fight. Twinges of pain from her shoulder strained the smile she wore, but she was determined not to falter. “I’m a _lot_ tougher than I look.”

        A grimace flickered across Amaya’s face for a brief moment as her gaze focused on Botan’s wrists. “Yukina told me that you healed yourself… and that Kurama wasn’t injured?”

        Botan tried to be discreet when hiding the faint bruises that lingered on her wrists with the sleeves of her kimono. “Right on both counts. A good night’s rest and I’ll be back to tip top condition.” She wagged a finger, the gesture lost under her pink sleeve. “And don’t you worry about Kurama. That nasty witch didn’t lay a finger on him.” She sat down so that she could lean in close to Amaya, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial tone. “Just between you and me, I think he was pretty upset about that. You know guys – always wanting to show their manliness by protecting us girls, even if we can take care of ourselves.” She straightened up so that the other girl could see her coy wink.

        Amaya’s posture relaxed slightly, much to Botan’s relief, the corner of her mouth tugging upward a little. “I’m glad…” She paused for a moment, a faint hint of red coloring her cheeks. “That he’s alright I mean. I got worried when he didn’t come back.”

        Botan felt her concerns start to ebb at the sight of Amaya’s smile. “I wouldn’t worry about Kurama.” She giggled softly. “You just watch, I guarantee you that next time we go off on a mission, he’s going to insist on taking on all the demons by himself first before either of us have a chance to do anything.”

        Amaya nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful and her gaze distant. “What happened to him back there? He left to find you after you screamed, but…”

        Botan sighed, slumping a bit, as she ignored how the action upset her shoulder. Being held hostage still bothered her immensely. “It was that nasty trick of Irokafue’s that did it. Kurama had to let one of those demons of hers chase him to a whole other district before he could defeat it and get back to us.” She paused briefly and decided that it would be best if she did not tell Amaya about all of the victims at the meatpacking plant. It felt like too much to pile onto the other girl’s concerns on top of everything else. “Anyway, he managed to take care of it and get back to us just in the nick of time to take care of Irokafue for good.”

        Amaya began to nod then stopped, lifting her head in a quick motion to stare at Botan with widening eyes. “Take care of… but I thought… I destroyed both of Irokafue’s weak spots, didn’t I?”

        Botan went rigid when she realized her mistake. Automatically she began to laugh in an effort to diffuse the situation while hands fluttered about in meaningless gestures. “Y-yes, well, it seems Irokafue wasn’t _quite_ dead yet when you were through with her… But don’t worry! You weakened her enough that I had no trouble keeping her at bay until Kurama showed up! She was practically helpless thanks to you!”

        Amaya’s eyes closed, her face contorted into an almost painful expression. “Oh…” Her head tilted downward, her bangs falling forward to cover her face like a black curtain, as she lapsed into a weighty silence.

        Botan could practically see a cloud of doom hanging over Amaya’s head. She silently chided herself for saying unnecessary things when the Spirit Detective needed reassurance more than anything else. “Come on, cheer up! Who cares _how_ it happened? What’s important was that we won, and now that awful demon won’t be troubling anyone ever again, and all those children can go home. We should be celebrating!” She seized Amaya’s hands to capture the dark haired girl’s attention and felt victorious when Amaya jerked her head towards the pink-eyed girl. “Seriously, you did great back there. Really! I was amazed how calmly you took everything. Why, I was terrified and had no idea how we were going to get out of Irokafue’s clutches, but you kept calm and your quick thinking saved the day. You’re a _hero_ , Amaya!”

        Amaya stared at Botan, her wide blue eyes barely visible between strands of her hair. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Her body faintly trembled as she attempted to pull back from the reaper.

        Botan felt her insides twist as she realized that her pep talk was not working. “I… I know it’s a lot to take in, but if there’s anything troubling you, you can go ahead and tell me. That’s what a guide is here for, right? I can promise you that I’m one hundred percent on your side no matter what.”

        Botan gave Amaya’s hands a firm, reassuring squeeze, only for the other girl to lurch forward, banging their heads together. She yelped in pain as stars briefly flashed across her eyes. She nearly fell backwards, but recovered quickly, letting go of Amaya to rub the place where their foreheads collided. “Ow… That hurt!” She focused on Amaya, ready to demand an explanation for the abrupt assault, only to realize that the Spirit Detective had doubled over, arms curled close in a defensive position. “Amaya?” A beat later, the reaper realized what had happened. “Oh my gosh! Your hands… I’m so, so sorry! I totally forgot. Here, let me help…”

        Amaya reluctantly pulled herself upward, her breathing coming in ragged bursts. Her movements were stiff as she reluctantly allowed Botan to take a hold of her forearms forward in a delicate hold. She watched through her bangs as Botan used energy on her hands, her vision distorted by unshed tears.

        As the pain slowly died down, Amaya’s breathing evened out enough for her to speak. “Th… thank you.”

        Botan stared at Amaya, taken aback. The last thing she expected was thanks after aggravating the blue-eyed girl’s injuries. “Thank me? For what?”

        “For… believing in me,” Amaya said, the words strained. She managed a weak smile. “I know… there’s no way I can compare to Mr. Urameshi, and I know… I don’t know much of anything about demons, Spirit World, or even being a Spirit Detective…” She paused for a moment then let out a weak, humorless chuckle. “I doubt I even know as much about myself as you or King Yama do…” Botan flinched. “…But I promise, I’ll do my best to get better at this, so you won’t get hurt like that again… and so we won’t _need_ to wait to be rescued.”

        For a long moment, Botan was at a loss, overwhelmed by the numerous emotions stirred by Amaya’s speech. The other girl’s name slipped from her lips and her healing ceased due to her waning concentration and energy – she had not recovered enough from using nearly all of her energy earlier to do much more than take the edge off Amaya’s pain.

        Botan wondered if Amaya was referring to the things she said a moment ago, or if the other girl was also referencing when she defended Amaya earlier against the suggestion that the Spirit Detective was working for the enemy. She wanted to ask, but was afraid of what would happen if she was wrong, even if it seemed more and more likely that Amaya was waiting for her to bring the subject up. Either way, it was her job as guide to the Spirit Detective to help her charge during troubled times.

        When Botan finally gathered her wits, her voice came stronger than she expected. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. No one is expecting you to be an expert right away. Why, even Yusuke had a hard time when he first started out. You’d be surprised how many times he managed to win by sheer dumb luck.”

        Amaya brushed back her bangs with her forearm to get a better look at Botan, her expression incredulous. “Really? But I thought he was already a strong fighter even before he became Spirit Detective, and that he was even more powerful than Kurama.”

        “Well, yes,” Botan said slowly. “Yusuke was always getting into scrapes ever since he was rather young, but getting into fistfights with other teenagers doesn’t compare to fighting with demons. It’s true that he’s very powerful now, but back when he first started out, there’s no way he could’ve fought someone like Irokafue on his own.”

        Silence lingered for a number of long seconds as Amaya stared at Botan, processing this new information. Finally, her gaze dropped down to her hands. “How do you think Mr. Urameshi would’ve handled it? Back when he was first getting started I mean.”

        Botan let out a quiet hum as her eyes drifted towards the ceiling. Memories of Yusuke brought back so many bittersweet feelings. “Honestly, I’m not sure. He probably would’ve used the Spirit Gun on her, but beyond that, well…” Her brow furrowed before she returned her gaze to Amaya. “Well, to give you some idea about how Yusuke handled things back then, one of the first cases he won was because he gambled everything on striking a special mirror he was supposed to recover with his Spirit Gun so that it would reflect the blast and hit Hiei in the back, knocking him right out.”

        Amaya blinked repeatedly. “The Spirit Gun can be reflected by mirrors? I didn’t know that.”

        Botan let out a quiet chuckle as she thought back to how cross she had been at the risk Yusuke took during that mission. Recalling the long round of spankings Koenma received from Yama due to Yusuke breaking the mirror – as well as allowing the three treasures to be stolen in the first place – made the memory all the more humorous. “Neither did Yusuke, but he still tried it anyway. And, just so you know, Kurama had to help save Yusuke in the nick of time during that fight too by blocking what would’ve been a fatal blow.” Her smile widened, growing wry, as she gave a wink. “You might say Kurama has some experience in rescuing Spirit Detectives.”

        “So this…” Amaya made a vague sweeping gesture. “This is… normal?”

        Botan giggled softly. “Well, as normal as the job gets I suppose. So don’t be _too_ surprised if you find yourself winning through unexpected means, like falling into a sinkhole full of water, or getting swamp algae stuck in your ears.”

        Amaya stared at Botan, eyes wide. “That’s… unbelievable.”

        Botan let out a wistful sigh. “Yes, well, Yusuke always managed to make each case _very_ exciting. It seems to come with the territory.”

        Amaya went quiet, her focus returning to her bandaged hands.

        Botan had enough of the lengthy silences between them and seeing Amaya so depressed. Regardless of what the other girl might have heard, she was determined to make Amaya smile again. She took a hold of the Spirit Detective’s shoulders to draw Amaya’s attention back to her, certain this time that she was not touching another injury on the teenage girl’s body. “So cheer up! You’re doing just fine. The fact that you’re giving it your all is more than enough. Really.”

        Amaya’s expression was hesitant for a moment more before a small smile began to tug at her lips. She nodded slightly with a quiet affirmative hum. “Okay. I’ll try.”

        Botan felt as though a heavy weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders and she was more than happy to be rid of it. “Glad to hear it!” She let go of Amaya after giving her charge’s shoulders one final pat. “Now let’s get you fed and rested. You’ve earned some R and R after today.” She picked up the tray of food and placed it on her lap. “It’d be a shame to let such delicious food go to waste, don’t you think?” She waited until Amaya nodded then picked up the chopsticks. “Since you can’t use your hands right now, I’ll be happy to use mine as a substitute until you’re finished healing.”

        Amaya’s smile grew a bit stronger and the tension between them seemed to ease. “Botan?”

        Botan looked up, a bowl of rice in one hand and chopsticks in the other. “Yes?”

        “You and Mr. Urameshi…,” Amaya said slowly, a nervous note creeping into her voice. “You’re friends, right?”

        Botan blinked, baffled by the sudden shift in topic. “Well, yes. Of course. Why do you ask?”

        Heat rose to Amaya’s cheeks and she chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “Do you… do you think we… could be friends too?” Her words slowly trailed off the more she spoke, ending on an uncertain note.

        Botan stared at Amaya, taken aback, but only for a moment. “Of _course_! Why, we’re friends already, aren’t we? I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I don’t see why that should matter. Especially after we’ve been through so much together already.”

        Amaya exhaled slowly and her expression brightened considerably. “Thank you.”

        The mood had shifted greatly for the better, much to Botan’s relief. Though the two girls did not say much while the reaper helped the Spirit Detective eat, it was a far more companionable silence than before. That was why Amaya’s sudden gasp caught Botan off-guard.

        “I just remembered!” Amaya said, anxiety lacing her voice. “I need to call my mother and father right away. They’re probably worrying about me since I haven’t come home or called yet.”

        Botan set the chopsticks down. “Never fear, I’ve got that covered.” She reached into her sleeve and pulled out Amaya’s cell phone with a triumphant note. “I can dial them up for you and leave the room so you can have some privacy if you’d like.”

        “No, that’s okay,” Amaya said with a shake of her head. “I can’t hold the phone to my ear, and the walls are so thin that you’ll hear everything if I use the speaker phone anyway.”

        “Oh yeah, that’s true,” Botan muttered. A second later, she froze in place, staring at Amaya with wide eyes as her heart began to race. Compelled by the need to somehow address her earlier outburst in the living room and put the matter to rest once and for all, words tumbled out of her mouth before she could fully think them through. “I-I mean, it can’t be helped if someone overhears something they didn’t intend to from time to time, not just because the walls are thin. And perhaps if they _did,_ that person might have a hard time bringing the subject up because it’s difficult or strange or confusing or embarrassing. But even if that person _did_ hear something odd, all they have to do is just ask about it and they can talk it out instead of leaving someone else wondering if that person needs to say something to that person or just keep quiet about it. Know what I mean?”

        Amaya’s expression was blank. “What?”

        Botan held up her hands. “I-I’m just saying that if there’s _anything else_ you need to tell me, say something, er, _strange_ you might have overheard, then you don’t need to be afraid to ask me about it. I’ll be happy to explain anything you like. That’s what I’m here for after all.” She fumbled for a moment for what else she should say, nervous laughter bubbling out instead of words.

        Pink flooded Amaya’s cheeks as she suddenly found the screen door interesting. “O-oh, so… so you noticed?”

        Botan felt her insides twist and she nodded, her smile turning more into a grimace. “Well… it wasn’t hard to figure it out.”

        “It was an accident,” Amaya said quickly. “I didn’t mean to overhear anything. I was just... I was looking for a bathroom and I heard voices so I thought I’d go ask but, well…”

        Botan swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly unbearably dry. “W-well then, you must have a lot of questions…”

        The tense silence that lingered between them as Amaya took her time in answering was almost too much for Botan to handle. “That’s true,” the dark haired girl muttered. “I’m just not sure what to ask first.” Her shoulders lowered a fraction as she exhaled deeply. “It’s kind of overwhelming to be honest. There’s so much I don’t know…”

        Botan had a hard time keeping still and squirmed slightly from side to side. “Yes, that’s only natural given the circumstances. Just go ahead and ask the first thing that pops into your head and we’ll go from there, okay?”

        Amaya nodded and finally turned back to Botan. “Yukina hasn’t been here on Earth for very long, has she?”

        The question caught Botan completely off-guard. She opened her mouth only to close it a moment later. She shook her head vigorously for a second to get her thoughts working again when she reminded herself that she needed to answer. “Not _too_ long I guess… Just a few short visits before she came to live here with Genkai rather recently.”

        Amaya smiled. “I thought so.” She giggled quietly. “Actually, to tell the truth, it was kind of funny hearing her call my cell phone a _cage_ phone.”

        Botan held up her hand, wanting to slow the conversation down, as she suddenly felt as though she had lost track of what was going on with it somewhere. “Wait, hold on. Was _that_ all you heard?”

        Amaya nodded with a quiet sound of confirmation. “Well, that and that you were bringing it to me along with dinner.”

        Botan spoke slowly, hardly daring to believe her ears. “You didn’t hear anything else before that? Like someone shouting or something like that?”

        Uncertainty crept into Amaya’s expression. “Yes, but I was still in here at the time so I couldn’t make it out. I was worried you were in trouble at first, but I realized you sounded angry, not scared or hurt.” She paused for a moment. “What were you yelling about anyway?”

        Botan’s hands frantically waved in front of her, as though trying to deflect that question. “Oh, nothing! Just a silly little argument we were having. To tell you the truth, I’m still really embarrassed by how I lost my temper like that. It’d be better if everyone just forgot it happened in the first place.”

        There was a moment of conflict in Amaya’s expression that made Botan worry that she would press for more information, before she finally relaxed with a smile. “Okay, I understand. It’s been a _really_ rough day on all of us, hasn’t it?”

        Botan practically felt like collapsing with relief. She felt as though she had dodged a bullet from pointblank range. “You can say that again.”

* * *

        Outside in the walkway, Kurama leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. He was just far enough away from the door to the guestroom that he did not risk casting a shadow on the door and giving away his presence to the girls inside. From there, he managed to overhear virtually the entirety of Amaya and Botan’s conversation.

        Like Botan, Kurama felt relieved that Amaya had not heard anything sensitive. As curious as he was to find out how the Spirit Detective would have reacted to the information, he did not care to have her find out in such a careless manner. They had gotten lucky this time, but in the future, they would have to be more cautious about taking into account Amaya’s utter lack of presence.

        Kurama knew that eventually Amaya would need to learn all the things they knew about her, the state of unrest in the Demon and Human Worlds, and what happened to Yusuke. While he intended to probe a little further about what she knew about herself in the morning, specifically about the seals on her, he was aware that it was far too soon to tell her everything. So far, the girl had done a remarkable job of coping with the pressure of her new responsibilities on top of fighting for her life against frightening opponents who were far more powerful than she was. However, he knew that there were only so many burdens someone could take on all at once before they broke under the strain.

        Amaya’s voice floated through the air, barely muffled by the screen door. “Hi, Mama, it’s me.” Whatever response her mother made was too quiet for him to make out, suggesting that Botan was holding the phone to her ear rather than using speakerphone. “I’m sorry. I got caught up after the exam with a friend and lost track of time. I wound up falling asleep while we were talking and I just woke up a little while ago. I guess I probably stayed up too late last night.”

        Kurama cocked his head slightly. _Interesting interpretation of the events._

        “I know, I’m sorry,” Amaya said softly before forcing a small laugh. “I guess I was just worrying too much. You know, the exam is such a big deal and all.” She paused, obviously listening to her mother. “I think I did okay. I felt pretty confident about my answers.” She waited for about a minute in silence. “Actually, since it is so late, I thought I’d spend the night over here. I’m still too tired to take the long walk home. Oh, by the way, Nanako wanted me to let you know that she thinks that the new prototype mascot design makes the phoenix look too much like a penguin, and that you should consider something like a swallow or a peacock as a base instead.”

        The comment about a phoenix that looked like a penguin brought a smile to Kurama’s lips as he thought of Puu. It was a pity he could not see request to see the design or show it to Yusuke. No doubt, the former Spirit Detective’s reaction would have been quite amusing to say the least. The faint sound of Botan’s not quite stifled laughter hinted to him that she could see the humor in it as well.

        Amaya continued speaking after half a minute. “She says that’s why it’ll be better and more recognizable. Maybe all you need is a new drawing style.” She let out a prolonged yawn as her mother responded. “I told you yesterday, didn’t I? I thought it looked cute, but Nanako does have a point.” She made a quiet noise before her voice grew heavier. “Oh yeah, I’m also supposed to tell you that she wants reservations for two for Valentine’s Day.” She yawned again. “You know, get it before the rush.” She waited for the reply. “Downtown.” Another yawn followed by a sigh. “Okay.” Her voice grew vague as she spoke, her words coming out slightly distorted from exhaustion. “Goodnight, Mama. I love you.”

        The beep of the phone ended the call. “Maybe you should get some sleep,” Botan said with a touch of concern. “It really _has_ been a long day.”

        “Not just yet,” Amaya said. The fatigue was gone from her voice, replaced with a different note of weariness, one Kurama was intimately familiar with every time he had to lie to Shiori about certain activities he refused to let his mother find out about. “I’d like to finish eating first at least.” She sighed. “And I’d really like a bath. I feel dirty and there’s this weird smell, but…”

        “Oh,” Botan said. “That’s probably just the herbal medicine Kurama used with the bandages. Don’t worry about that. You can wash it off after we finish healing your hands in the morning.”

        Amaya let out a breathy laugh. “Of course he can heal too. Is there anything Kurama _can’t_ do?”

        When Botan let out a thoughtful hum, Kurama could imagine her making an almost exaggerated show of considering the answer. “Not really.” She paused to let out a sly giggle. “Unless you count getting a girlfriend.”

        If Kurama had not been leaning against the wall, he likely would have fallen over instead of sliding down a few centimeters.

        Amaya made an odd noise that was difficult to decipher. Kurama was not sure if he was glad he was unable to see her expression at that moment. “Y-you’re kidding!”

        Botan laughed merrily. “Nope! He’s been single as long as I’ve known him, and, unlike Hiei, he doesn’t have the excuse of having a poor personality to explain it.”

        “But he’s so… so _nice_ ,” Amaya said, her tone incredulous. “Not to mention he’s very a, ah… he looks so… uh…”

        Botan’s voice went a note lower. “Drop dead gorgeous?”

        Amaya’s answer was an almost strangled sound that reached an impressively high pitch.

        The conversation’s sudden change in direction nearly made Kurama regret listening in on the girls in the first place. It was uncomfortable enough to overhear his peers at school gossip about him when he was clearly within earshot without Botan discussing his lack of a love life to the new girl in their group.

        Botan’s laughter tinkled like chimes. “Oh, don’t act like you didn’t notice! You got a good look at Kurama with the Psychic Spyglass after all.”

        Amaya sputtered out seemingly random syllables for a number of seconds before she finally strung them together into something coherent. “I-I wasn’t… It… it was an accident! I swear! I didn’t mean to see him like… that… it…”

        Botan feigned a scandalized tone. “Oh sure, the _first_ time, but I seem to recall you got _at least_ one more good look, didn’t you? You naughty girl.”

        Kurama barely suppressed the urge to put his hand over his face and cover up his uncomfortably warm cheeks. He supposed he should have expected something like this – Botan never could stop herself from teasing people when it came to relationships. Her laughter overtop Amaya’s incoherent stammering certainly did not help him feel any more at ease with the conversation. He sincerely hoped that Botan did not plan to try out some matchmaking on him now that Yusuke was not around to be the target of her more mischievous activities. Embarrassment aside, it felt highly inappropriate for her to pair him off with Amaya, particularly given the circumstances.

        Botan’s laughter quieted down, but it carried over into each word she spoke. “I wonder what _Tatsuo_ would say if he knew you saw another man naked before him!”

        The statement made Kurama pause to reassess his previous assumption.

        “You… you can’t tell him!” Amaya said, her voice cracking due to its high pitch.

        Botan giggled. “Oh don’t worry, I’m only teasing. I wouldn’t _dream_ of ruining things between you and Tatsuo. _Especially_ not before you _finally_ confess your feelings for him.”

        Amaya made an odd sound that was almost like a young animal’s cry. “I can’t believe that something like that… How do you even _know_ …?”

        “Oh, it’s just one of the many things Spirit World likes to keep track of,” Botan said, her tone far too jovial for anyone else’s comfort. “You have no idea just how important love is in the grand scheme of things. Which is why you need to hurry up and let Tatsuo know how you feel, before some other girl snatches him away from you. He _is_ quite popular you know.”

        Now the conversation had become more uncomfortable for Kurama for different reasons. While he did want to find out more about what was in Amaya’s file, her love life was not one of those things he necessarily needed to know. While he could leave the girls to gossip in privacy, at the same time, he hesitated, as he knew there was still a chance that Botan could let something important slip while they were having such a candid conversation.

        Amaya groaned as though in pain. “Can’t… he… Tatsuo is… There’s no way I could…”

        “Sure you can!” Botan said. “All you have to do is take the aggressive approach – confront Tatsuo when he least expects it, look him square in the eye, and give him a one-two punch of love!”

        Amaya’s tone was faint, but clearly skeptical. “‘One-two punch of love?’”

        Botan hummed softly. “Well, okay, maybe _that_ kind of approach might be a _bit_ too aggressive for you. Oh, I know! Since Tatsuo is the most popular boy at your school and Kurama is the most popular at _his,_ you could always ask Kurama for advice about what kind of confession would make _him_ fall for a girl.”

        Kurama could not help but wonder why Botan kept insisting on dragging him into this sort of conversation. Was it overcompensation for not being able to meddle with Yusuke and Keiko’s relationship anymore, or because she could not stand to see a friend remain single? Even if he had any intention of letting on that he overheard the conversation, he doubted anything he said to the reaper would deter her from her matchmaking urges.

        A sudden thought occurred to Kurama that made him look at the conversation in a new light. Perhaps Botan’s true intent was to distract Amaya from thinking about the earlier mission. Romance certainly had a way of diverting one’s thoughts away from their problems. Not to mention how distracting it was to talk about rather embarrassing things of a personal nature.

        “Ask him…,” Amaya said slowly, her voice an octave higher than usual. “I… you want me to ask _Kurama_ what I’d have to say to him to make _him_ fall in love with me?”

        “You never know,” Botan said with a giggle. “It might just work on Tatsuo too.”

        Of course, Kurama could not dismiss the idea that Botan’s true incentive behind the suggestion was to find out what he was looking for in a girlfriend so that she could go on the hunt for one, or if this was simply idle teasing on her part without much more thought than that. It was hard to tell for sure, though her suggestion seemed more forceful than her usual tactics.

        It took Amaya a moment to come up with a reply. “And you think that’ll help?”

        Botan tried to sound innocent, but the sweetness of her tone was too artificial for Kurama to be convinced that it was sincere. “Well, it couldn’t _hurt_ , could it?”

        “Are… are you just teasing me?” Amaya’s tone hovered somewhere between mortification and wariness. “I… I can’t ask him something embarrassing like _that_. He would think that I… that I think… B-besides, if you want to know what kind of girl Kurama is looking for so you can tease him too, you should just ask him yourself.”

         “Oops,” Botan said, her voice still light, but somewhat chastised as well. “You caught me. But I really do think it couldn’t hurt to get the male perspective on things. Plus it _would_ be nice to see Kurama find a nice girl, don’t you think?”

        Kurama resisted the temptation to interrupt their conversation and inform Botan that he already had a woman in his life who was more dear to him than all others – Shiori. The love of a mother was more than he ever deserved. In any case, romance would simply complicate things for him.

        Amaya sounded a touch put off. “In that case, why don’t _you_ ask Kurama out on a date?”

        The question was enough to make Botan lose her teasing tone, replacing it with shock. “What? _Me?_ ”

        Kurama’s eyes drifted towards the sky. _As if this conversation couldn’t get any **more** awkward._

        “Now hold on,” Botan said, her words fumbling a bit. “You don’t seriously think I…” She forced a laugh. “Kurama and I are just _friends_. It’d be terribly awkward, don’t you think? Besides, we work together, and I’ve always heard that co-workers really shouldn’t date, and the same is true for dating your boss. Not to mention he’s never even hinted even the slightest bit of interest in me. Or at least not that I’ve noticed, and I’m pretty sure I would’ve noticed something like _that_. With all the men in my life, you’d think that if any of them was interested, they would’ve said something over all the time we’ve spent together, bantering off of each other, working side by side that he’d even give the slightest _hint_ that I…” Her tirade slowly tapered off into nothing.

        Despite the mild awkwardness Kurama felt over the topic, he could not help but wonder if Botan _had_ been thinking of someone in particular – if not him, then someone else he knew. Despite supporting Yusuke and Keiko’s relationship, she had been especially close to Yusuke… Sometimes Botan and Yusuke almost behaved like an old married couple with how they carried on. Although, one could argue that Yusuke had a similar rapport with Kuwabara.

        Amaya cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “Would you mind helping me to the bathroom? Please?”

        Botan let out a tiny startled yelp. “Huh? Oh, sure! Of course!”

        That was Kurama’s cue to leave. He moved silently down the hall as he filed away everything that he had overheard. Amaya and Botan’s conversation had been very informative, but much of what he learned were things that he felt he would have preferred not to think about. Such was the downside of listening in on other peoples’ private conversations, he supposed.

* * *

        Amaya was up early the following morning to watch the sunrise over Genkai’s well-tended garden. The temperature had dropped during the night, bringing with it a fresh layer of snow to cover everything in white. Although the borrowed kimono she wore was insufficient to keep out much of the cold, watching the first rays of daylight reflecting countless tiny glittering rainbows across the smooth blanket of white had a calming effect that allowed her to ignore her discomfort for the moment. Her dreams were an unpleasant mishmash of troubling images, but thankfully, none of it forced her to relive an alternate, tragic version of yesterday’s battle. Thoughts of the real events that transpired and the consequences they faced from this point forward were far more pressing than any scenario her subconscious could conjure up.

        Amaya felt more than heard someone approach and turned just in time to see Yukina appear from around the corner. The ice demon’s eyes widened briefly upon spotting her, but a moment later Yukina gave her a smile that she managed to return despite her mood.

        “Good morning, Miss Mamori,” Yukina said with a slight bow of her head. “I didn’t expect you to be awake this early. Did you come out to watch the sunrise too?”

        “Good morning,” Amaya said almost automatically, and she noticed that a new ribbon adorned the other girl’s hair. “Yeah, it’s really pretty out here.”

        Yukina nodded with a soft hum and came to a stop at Amaya’s side. “How are you feeling today? Are your hands feeling any better?”

        With some reluctance, Amaya removed her hands from where she tucked them into the kimono sleeves to shield them from the cold, and held them out to Yukina for inspection. “Yes, fortunately. I can actually hold onto things again.”

        Yukina’s smile grew brighter. “That’s wonderful. Would you like me to finish healing you now?”

        “Yes, please,” Amaya said, privately relieved that Yukina had spared her from needing to ask. Her hands hurt less than they did before, but the pain was still severe.

        Waves of brilliant energy washed over Amaya’s hands, slowly easing away the ache with gentle warmth that banished the chill in the air. It came entirely unexpected, as she assumed that an ice maiden’s energy would feel cold.

        “Your clothes are clean now,” Yukina said. “After we finish here, I’ll bring them to you so you can get dressed while I make breakfast.” She paused for a moment. “You could take a bath first before you get changed if you’d like.”

        The prospect of a hot bath tempted Amaya, but at the same time, she felt uncomfortably indebted to Yukina after how kind the ice demon had been to her. “Actually, I’d like to help you with breakfast first if you don’t mind.”

        The offer brought a quizzical expression to Yukina’s face. “I don’t mind, but shouldn’t you be taking it easy? You were nearly possessed by a demon yesterday.”

        A sudden sensation of cold that did not come from the air seized Amaya’s insides. “ _Possessed_?”

        Yukina blinked slowly, growing a touch distressed. “Oh, I thought Botan had already told you by now. She said she wanted to be the one to let you know after you were feeling better. You see, Master Genkai believes that the demonic energy that burned your hands was part of a curse that was supposed to allow Irokafue’s soul to possess your body.” Upon noticing the panic growing on Amaya’s pale face, she was quick to continue. “Oh, but don’t worry, Miss Mamori! Master Genkai destroyed the curse and got rid of all the demonic energy, so there shouldn’t be anything for you to worry about. You just need to take it easy for a little while.”

        The prospect of a bath had become very unappealing to Amaya at this point. The idea of sitting in a quiet place with little to distract her while she had this new terrifying kernel of information churning around in her head to join the rest of her troubled thoughts was far from pleasant. “I… if you say so. E-even still, I think I’d rather help you out in the kitchen right now. My mother is a professional chef and taught me how to cook, so it won’t be any trouble for me.”

        “Alright,” Yukina said. “If you insist. I’ll be happy to accept your help.”

* * *

        Initially, Amaya worried that learning about nearly being possessed would have troubled her too much to properly focus on cooking. However, once Yukina showed her the layout of the kitchen and told her what they would be making, she fell into the familiar, comforting rhythm of cooking with someone. The busywork served as a welcome distraction, allowing her mind to drift to other, less stressful topics. “Hey, Yukina? Do you mind if I ask you something?”

        Yukina looked up from the tofu she had been chopping with an inquisitive hum. “No, I don’t mind. What is it?”

        “I was just wondering,” Amaya said slowly. “Are you and your master the medical staff for the…” She faltered for a moment. “This… Spirit Detective agency thing?”

        Yukina blinked. “Not really. I don’t work for King Yama, and neither does Master Genkai. Spirit World only allowed me to stay in this world pretty recently.” Her eyes drifted towards the ceiling, her expression pensive. “Although, now that I think about it, I’ve had to heal Kazuma a few times since I met him and Yusuke, so I suppose that counts.”

        The new name caught Amaya’s attention. “Kazuma? Don’t you mean Kurama?”

        Yukina snapped her gaze back to Amaya, staring at the other girl blankly for a brief moment. “What? Oh, no, not at all. I don’t think I’ve ever had to heal Kurama. He seems like someone capable of taking care of that on his own.” She paused for a moment, her gaze sliding down to her hands as she resumed chopping. “I suppose the same could be said about Hiei.”

        “Oh,” Amaya said. “I thought you were pronouncing Kurama’s name wr…” Her voice tapered off before she gave a brief shake of her head. “Never mind. I haven’t met anyone named Kazuma yet, or Hiei. Who are they, and what’re their jobs?”

        Yukina glanced at Amaya, eyebrows raised. “Job?”

        The question and expression on the ice demon’s face made Amaya feel acutely aware of her ignorance about her new position, bringing warmth to her cheeks. “Well, I’m Spirit Detective, Botan is my guide to train and educate me and I think Kurama is my… partner?” She paused for a moment, brow furrowing. “Or maybe he’s our bodyguard until I’m strong enough? Botan didn’t really tell me what his title is.”

        “I don’t think anyone else besides Yusuke was ever given an actual title like that,” Yukina said. “Kurama and the others are just Yusuke’s friends. They liked to help him out whenever he had to battle with criminals.”

        “Oh, I see,” Amaya said quietly. She took a moment to pour rice into the rice cooker before she continued, speaking at a more normal volume. “So what happened to Kazuma and Hiei when Mr. Urameshi retired? Was Kurama the only one who decided to help out the new Spirit Detective, or will I get to meet them soon?”

        Yukina let out a thoughtful hum as she set aside the diced tofu and reached for some green onions. “I’m not sure. Kazuma would probably help if you asked, but he’s busy focusing on studying for entrance exams right now.” She paused for a moment, her gaze going distant. “As for Hiei… I’m afraid he’s probably never going to come back to this world.”

        Amaya stopped in the middle of reaching for a carton of eggs to focus on Yukina. Something about the way the ice demon phrased her answer seemed off to the Spirit Detective. “What do you mean? Did something happen to him?”

        Yukina snapped back to the present and glanced over her shoulder at Amaya. “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. Hiei chose to leave. You see, Demon World has gotten pretty dangerous lately. One of the three kings of Demon World invited him to stay at their palace and fight for their army, so he left a few days ago.”

        “Oh,” Amaya said. A second later, the implications fully sunk in, causing her eyes to widen. “Wait, army? Never coming back? You mean he left to _die_ in a demon war?”

        A meaty thunk of the knife biting deep into the cutting board made Amaya jump. The temperature around Yukina dropped noticeably, giving the dark haired girl goose bumps. Tension hung in the air like a fog, so thick that it was almost suffocating. Amaya scarcely breathed, afraid that the slightest sound or movement could cause the ice demon to snap. After a moment that felt far longer than it really was, warmth slowly returned to the kitchen.

        “I’m sure it’s nothing like that,” Yukina said, an odd note that almost could have been mistaken for cheer underlining her voice, had it not been so tense. She turned to smile at Amaya before she went to the stove and turned it on, the expression not quite as happy as she likely intended. “Hiei never really liked being here in Human World. He’s been wanting to return for quite a while now. I’m sure he’ll be much happier there than he was here.”

        The discomfort Amaya felt was intense. She tried to ignore it and the little voice at the back of her mind that reprimanded her for being so thoughtless with her curiosity. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… That was rude of me to say something like that.”

        “It’s okay,” Yukina said softly as she focused on adding ingredients to a saucepan. “It’s nothing I haven’t asked myself already… But Hiei has reasons to keep fighting, so I’m sure I’ll see him again someday.”

        Amaya knew that the topic needed to be changed, but it took her a moment to find some segue that did not make her appear even more insensitive. The last thing she wanted to do was to create a bad impression on one of her new co-workers, particularly after Yukina had been so nice to her so far. Not to mention she felt distinctly nervous about angering a no doubt powerful demon. “Y-you would know better than me, so you’re probably right. I’m guessing you came to Earth to avoid the war, or…?” Her voice trailed off on an awkward note, as she hoped that she was not blindly wandering into another sensitive topic.

        Yukina blinked and cast a curious look in Amaya’s direction. “Yes, actually.” She paused briefly. “Well, I should say it was _one_ of the main reasons why I chose to stay here. My friends all live here in Human World, and Demon World is so dangerous that I really don’t have much of a reason to go back there except to visit Ree.”

        Amaya allowed herself to relax slightly. “Who’s Ree?”

        “She’s a friend of my mother,” Yukina said. “She raised me since I was a baby.”

        If Amaya had not grown skittish towards the conversation, she would have pried a little further into Yukina’s background and shared her own experiences with adoption. She was more than well aware of how sensitive a topic adoption was. “Have you thought about suggesting to Ree that she should come live here with you? I mean…” She hesitated, not wanting to imply that Ree would be at risk from the war like Hiei.

        Yukina let out a thoughtful hum as she slowly stirred the miso soup. “I never thought about it, actually. I doubt Ree or any of the other Ice Apparitions would be willing to leave Glacial Village like I did. They prefer to ignore whatever is going on in the rest of Demon World, and they’re safe hiding away on a floating island that constantly changes location. Besides, there’s not much else there besides snow and ice, so I can’t imagine any of the kings would want to bother taking over a place like that.”

        Despite the light tone, Amaya suspected Yukina held some form of bitterness towards the homeland of the ice maidens due to the way the red-eyed girl phrased the explanation. However, the Spirit Detective did not intend to call attention to it. “That’s good! Er, it’s good that they won’t be in danger.” She whisked the eggs as she fumbled for something else to say. “So, how do you like living here so far?”

        “It’s so interesting here,” Yukina said. “Kazuma has told me so many wonderful things there are to do and see here in Human World. In fact, he promised to show me something amazing called a movie later today. Have you ever heard of it?”

        Amaya tried to suppress a smile that crept up along the corners of her mouth. “Yes. Actually, I’ve seen a few myself. A lot of them are really fun to watch.”

        “I can’t wait to see it,” Yukina said. “I just hope no one gets hurt.”

        Amaya set the bowl of eggs beside the stove, the plastic making contact with the counter a little harder than she intended. “Why would someone get hurt?”

        “Because something is going to blow up because of a man and a woman who keep missing meeting each other during a festival,” Yukina said. She paused for a moment, her eyes drifting upward as she lightly tapped her chin. “I think there was something else about a rival fighting them and trying to pit them against each other. Oh, and there was something about hearts being destroyed.” She turned back to Amaya, clearly confused. “I have to admit I wasn’t sure about some of the things Kazuma was talking about when he was explaining the movie to me, like how love can be a shape, but he assured me it was good.”

        Amaya felt taken aback for a moment before she considered the movies that were in theaters. The description was strange, but there were not many films currently playing that involved festivals and an emphasis on love and hearts. She could only hazard a guess as to what Yukina had in mind. “Is the movie called ‘An Explosion of Love?’”

        Yukina’s eyes lit up. “Ah, yes, that’s it! Now I remember.”

        Amaya did her best not to let her amusement at Yukina’s innocent ignorance show. “My friend Nanako saw that movie earlier this week with her boyfriend and told me all about it. It’s a romance story about a couple who fell in love while writing letters to each other and are trying to meet face to face despite a jealous ex-girlfriend interfering. There’s no _real_ explosions involved, I promise. It’s just called that to sound more exciting and catch everyone’s attention.”

        Yukina blinked. “Oh, well, I suppose it worked, considering how excited Kazuma is about seeing it with me.”

        Amaya suspected that this Kazuma person was more likely interested in the company rather than the movie itself, but decided not to say as much aloud. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. A lot of people have been giving that movie positive reviews.”

        The tension lessened as the girls set about to finishing their work preparing breakfast while making innocent small talk. While Amaya did want to know more about Yukina’s background and Yusuke’s friends, she hesitated to dig deeper. Instead, she indulged in the ice demon’s curiosity by retelling the plots of some of her favorite movies and trying to answer some unusual questions.

        “I’m afraid I’m still confused,” Yukina said as the two girls carried the food out into the dining room. “Why would loving more than one person at the same time be bad? I love all of my friends. I can’t imagine just choosing one over all the others.”

        Amaya felt as though she was getting in over her head with the conversation. She had been ill prepared for how little Yukina knew of not just about humans, but about romance as well. She could handle the former, but the latter made her acutely uncomfortable to discuss. “Love triangles are a bit more complicated than that. You’re probably better off asking someone who’s experienced in going out on dates and being in relationships about it. They’ll be able to explain it better than I could.”

        Yukina blinked at Amaya, her red eyes wide with curiosity. “What’s a date?”

        Unwanted warmth came to Amaya’s cheeks as she found herself at a loss for how to respond. “Well, um… that’s… Hang on a second. Let’s put these down first.” She tried to buy time by focusing on setting out the dishes, but all too soon, the task was done, leaving her with the uncomfortable dilemma of figuring out how to explain the concept of dating and romance to someone painfully ignorant to it. The conversation was growing so awkward she started hoping that someone would come by and interrupt it.

        The trill of a large bird spared Amaya from having to answer. Both girls looked up in time to see Pu push open the outside door with his beak, allowing in a burst of cold air. The Spirit Detective had the misfortune of being close to the door at the time, the head of the giant blue phoenix with a mane of shaggy black hair and drooping puppy ears appearing right beside her before he letting out a loud twitter for attention. Instinctively, she shrieked and jumped to her feet before scrambling further into the room, away from Pu as he shook snow from his wings onto the walkway. “Wh-what is _that?_!”

        “Don’t be afraid, Miss Mamori,” Yukina said, her voice soothing. “This is Pu. He’s Yusuke’s spirit beast.” She turned to Pu, blocking him from entering further into the room. “I’m sorry, Pu, but there’s not enough room in here for you to sit with the table out, and it’s too cold for you to keep the door open while you eat outside. Go ahead and get comfortable in the other room. I’ll bring breakfast to you there.”

        Amaya held her hand over her chest and tried to will her rapid heartbeat to calm down. “O-oh.” She watched Yukina shoo Pu down the walkway, feeling foolish and a little annoyed with herself for getting scared, however briefly, by another ally when first meeting them. “S-sorry about screaming like that. He startled me.”

        A scratchy woman’s voice came from behind Amaya, causing the Spirit Detective to jump with a yelp. “A little early in the morning to be so high strung, isn’t it?” Genkai gave Amaya an appraising look through narrowed eyes as the young woman whipped around to face her. “If you get so jumpy about every little thing, you’re not going to last very long in this line of work.”

        “Good morning, Master Genkai,” Yukina said cheerfully with a nod of her head. “Did you sleep well?”

        “Up until I heard all the racket out here,” Genkai said, her gaze still focused on Amaya.

        Amaya felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, and she backed up so that she could properly bow to Genkai. “I’m sorry, Miss… _Master_ Genkai. Please forgive my rudeness. I think I’m still a little… on edge from yesterday.”

        Genkai looked at Amaya a moment more letting out a quiet snort. “At least you have better manners than that dimwit.”

        Amaya straightened up and did her best to regain her composure. “My name is Amaya Mamori. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for healing me… and for stopping that… monster from possessing me.” She paused briefly. “Oh, and thank you for letting me stay here last night.”

        Genkai raised her eyebrow ever so slightly before a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips. “You can thank me by trying harder not to get yourself killed next time.” She turned to approach the table, hands tucked behind her back. “I’m not running a charity or a halfway house for Spirit World or Demon World you know.”

        Amaya felt uncertain how she should respond, as she hesitated to go with her first instinct to give another apology for something she knew she could not help. Mercifully, the appearance of Kurama, closely followed by Botan, spared her from having to say anything.

        “Good morning, everyone!” Botan said, her voice brimming with cheer.

        “Good morning, Botan,” Yukina said. “Good morning, Kurama. How are you feeling, Botan? Are you feeling any better?”

        Botan rolled back a sleeve and winked as she pumped her arm, showing that not only had her shoulder mended, but also the bruises had disappeared from her wrists. “I’m fighting fit and ready to face the day.” She breathed deep and beamed as she turned towards the table. “And the first thing I’m going to take on is this delicious looking breakfast.”

        Amaya felt a little more relaxed seeing Botan doing better, which allowed her to greet the pair with a sincere smile. She had noticed the reaper’s injuries the night before, despite Botan’s attempts to hide them, and was glad that her guide had recovered as well. It allowed her tension to ease slowly as they all sat down for breakfast.

        The peace was barely lasted long enough for Amaya to take two bites.

        “Amaya,” Kurama said, “would it be alright to ask you what happened after I left yesterday?” His expression was serious, but the hint of softness to his eyes promised the Spirit Detective that he would understand if she did not wish to speak.

        The miso soup suddenly held little more flavor than warm wet mush in Amaya’s mouth and she swallowed it hard. For a moment, she almost asked if she could do it later – she had already gone over the battle in her mind so many times that she felt as though she was drowning in the memory, and desperately needed more time to breathe. What stopped her was the knowledge was that debriefings were also a part of being a detective. She sipped her tea to buy her a few more moments to mentally prepare herself, as well as figure out where to start.

        Amaya straightened up and tried to look Kurama in the eye when she spoke, even if her insides squirmed due to being the center of attention. “Well…,” she said haltingly. “When you ran off, you left too quickly for me to warn you that I saw a lot of people coming from all directions outside… and that they didn’t look right.” She grimaced at the memory of the way the workers moved – particularly their twitching eyes. In the end, focusing on how they moved saved her, but it still disturbed her. “After you left, I also saw through Irokafue’s body. It was like the front half of her chest wasn’t real, so that it could hide two these strange black spheres where her uh…” Her gaze slipped down to her chest and she noticed that her borrowed kimono was a bit more open than she would like, so she tried to adjust it without being too obvious about it or her embarrassment.

        Kurama raised his eyebrows. “Can you describe those spheres?”

        For one strange moment, Amaya found herself distracted by how the question could have been taken in a different direction, particularly since the person asking was male. She gave herself a mental slap, as Kurama had not shown himself to be anything but a gentleman so far.

        Genkai snorted, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Funny, asking about a woman’s ‘spheres’ sounds more like something the dimwit would do.”

        Amaya covered her mouth to hide her sudden urge to laugh, though it came out as a less dignified snort through her nose. Botan was less inclined to hide her giggling, while the blank expression on Yukina’s face made it obvious the innuendo went completely over her head.

        Kurama took the quip in good humor and chuckled as well. “Yes, I suppose he might at that.”

        Amaya cleared her throat to make sure she could keep her voice steady, privately grateful to Genkai for easing some of the tension. “The… spheres…” She had to pause for a moment to keep a tremor that was almost laughter out of the word. “…W-were black, like tinted glass, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the Psychic Spyglass or if that’s how they actually looked, but I could clearly see that there something like fire burning in each of them, but the fire was white.” She paused for a few seconds before deciding to continue before someone could ask her more questions. “I… I thought they must’ve been her weak spots if she was trying to hide them, so I tricked her into getting close to my Territory, then destroyed one with my talisman.” She paused as she looked down at the hand she used to touch Irokafue, which bore no sign of yesterday’s battle, feeling embarrassed that she was naïve enough to think such a thing. “The other one I shot with my Spirit Gun when she tried to make me kill Botan. It seemed like it finished her off, but…”

        The amusement in Kurama’s expression gave way to something more serious. A quiet hum thrummed at the back of his throat as he took in this new information. “Botan, as I recall, you said you heard a scream before the two demons and the workers stopped moving?” He waited to see Botan nod before he looked back to Amaya. “Was that when you destroyed the first sphere?”

        Amaya nodded as the moment played vividly in her mind. “I tried destroying both of them at the same time, but as soon as I touched it with the talisman, it exploded and I couldn’t get a shot off with my Spirit Gun. I…” She hesitated, caught in the memory of the pain that had distracted her and slowed her down at a critical time. “Before I could try again, she was already using dozens of workers as human shields, and I couldn’t get a clear shot until I tricked her into thinking she managed to control me too.”

        “It was a convincing performance, to say the least,” Botan said. “Even I was fooled!”

        Amaya felt her cheeks warm as she gave Botan a smile that mingled an apology and thanks. “I used to be in the drama club, so I’ve had practice with acting.”

        Kurama’s expression betrayed nothing of what he thought of this new information. “Was that how you tricked Irokafue to get close enough for you to use your talisman?”

        Amaya blinked, surprised that Kurama had guessed so accurately, and then nodded. “Yeah. You see I…” She let out an awkward bit of laughter as her embarrassment mounted. “I kind of… acted like a total catty bitch.” Just saying the words made her cheeks turn a rosy hue, and she forced herself to finish her explanation quickly. “I thought that if I kept insulting her and made her angry enough, she’d get closer to yell in my face, and she’d be so distracted trying to intimidate me that she wouldn’t realize what I was up to until I got her, and it, well, half worked at least, so…”

        Botan’s eyebrows shot up as she stared at Amaya with wide eyes. “You really did that? I can’t even imagine it.”

        Genkai snickered behind her teacup. “Sounds like the typical tactic of our favorite dimwit.” She set her cup down. “He’d probably be thrilled to know the next Spirit Detective is carrying on the tradition.”

        Strangely, Amaya felt a little relieved by the favorable comparison to her predecessor, even if she felt fairly certain that Genkai was merely making a wry remark.

        Kurama inclined his head slightly towards Amaya. “Was there anything else you observed that stood out to you in particular? Not just while we weren’t there, but anything you didn’t have a chance to mention before, or any concerns you might have?”

        Amaya could have spent hours rambling ad nauseum about the many concerns she had, but she worried that she had voiced too many complaints already to speak up about others. Or at least, anything that felt more like a personal grievance about her role as Spirit Detective. “Well… it has been bothering me that Irokafue’s flute didn’t work on me. Not that I’m complaining!” she hastened to add after seeing the others’ curious looks. “I don’t even want to think of what would’ve happened if it did, but… Well, I figured it didn’t work on you, Kurama, because of how powerful you are, but if it made even Botan move against her will, then why didn’t it work on me?”

         “That’s an excellent question,” Kurama said in a near mutter. “Unfortunately, all we have right now are guesses rather than answers.”

        Botan felt her skin crawl at the reminder, compelling her to rub away the goose bumps on her arms. “I don’t know about you, but I’m just happy that it didn’t. Anyway, they took the flute back to Spirit World and are examining it as we speak, so we’ll probably have more answers about what exactly it was really capable of soon.”

         “So, um…” Amaya hesitated for a moment, poking at her rice with her chopsticks between glances at Botan and Kurama. “Would you mind telling me what happened after you both ran off… and while I was unconscious?”

        Amaya remained silent as she took in every word Kurama and Botan said, refraining from doing more than grimacing at the more unpleasant parts – such as when Botan was injured and how a number of the controlled people came to dying in the crossfire of Kurama’s ‘game’ with the purple demon. They left out mention of the victims of the meatpacking plant, as well as the lengthy conversation the pair had with Genkai afterward, due to their unspoken agreement that it was too soon for the Spirit Detective to know too many things upsetting things all at once. The blue-eyed girl was unaware of these omissions, save for one – the attempted possession.

        “Oh, that reminds me,” Botan said, bringing Amaya’s thoughts away from that little detail. “I received an update this morning from the cleanup crew. It seems they couldn’t find any sign of that demon you froze, Kurama, or that weapon of hers. All they found was ashes encased in blocks of ice and those dead flowers of yours.”

        Kurama was unconcerned to learn that the flowers he grew were dead – he used his energy to end their lives before he left with Amaya. What bothered him was the lack of a body, though he could not say that the news surprised him. “I suppose that’s to be expected. Once Irokafue died, her body, as well as those of her ‘children,’ self-destructed with white fire.” He glanced towards Amaya. “Perhaps it’s somehow related to the flames that were inside those spheres she carried with her.”

        The conversation had dulled the taste of the food, but Amaya continued to pick away at her half-eaten breakfast, both out of politeness and because she knew that she needed to regain her energy. She washed down a mouthful of bland rice with weak tea before she asked a question that had been bearing down on her since she woke up that morning. A part of her hesitated to voice it, because she could not think of any answer that would not trouble her. “What’s going to happen to the children now?”

        Botan blinked, startled by the sudden question, and lightly tapped her lower lip with her chopsticks. “Well, they’ll be sent home of course.”

        “How?”

        The quiet question brought an undercurrent of tension in the air, though both Botan and Yukina appeared confused. Botan was the first to break the silence. “What do you mean?”

        Amaya hesitated for a moment as her stomach twisted itself in knots, making her regret her persistence to continue eating. “Some of them…” She paused to find a better way to phrase her thoughts, her eyes drifting to the table. “What Irokafue said about the children not aging… the summer clothes… that many children going missing without it being all over the news…” She forced herself to meet Botan’s gaze. “She must have been doing this for years, kidnapping only one or two at a time so that no one will notice. How can the ones who have been trapped there for years go home again when they haven’t aged at all?”

        Botan flinched back slightly from the question, stammering for a few moments in her attempt to come up with an answer. “Uh, well, I…” She grew more uncomfortable as everyone present focused their attention on her. “Last I heard, a committee is being put together to decide how best to deal with this situation, but I think they’ll probably come up with a convincing story to explain everything and make sure that none of the children will have to remember anything that happened to them.”

        Yukina looked to Botan, hope in her eyes. “So the children are going to be okay then? That’s such a relief.”

        Amaya found little comfort in Botan’s words even if Yukina could, as they did not really answer her question. She felt compelled to press further on the topic, but she found herself at a loss for words. Explaining away Horumon’s rampage had felt flimsy enough – though admittedly it likely felt that way since she had witnessed the truth up close and personal – but she could think of only one way what happened to the children could remain hidden. “So you’re sure that they’ll be able to go back home?”

        Botan blinked owlishly at Amaya, as though the Spirit Detective had spoken another language. “Well of course! Why wouldn’t they?” She paused for only a beat, cutting off any chance for a reply. “Anyway, you _really_ shouldn’t worry about it, Amaya. Spirit World intelligence has been covering up demonic activity for centuries. If anyone can figure out a way for this whole mess to blow over completely without anyone else finding out, it’s them.”

        Concerns still lingered at the back of Amaya’s mind, but she forced them back as best she could as her eyes dropped to the table. She wanted to believe Botan, and have faith in the people who chose her to be Spirit Detective. She opened her mouth to ask about one last detail that would not leave her alone, but quickly covered it up with her cup, swallowing both her question and a generous amount of lukewarm tea in one gulp. She could not ask here, now, with so many people around. Her one question would open her up to many in return that she did not want to answer. She regretted that she had not thought to talk to Botan about such a personal topic last night when she had the chance, but she supposed she would find out the answer either way eventually.

        The doors slid open with a clatter as a loud, boisterous, and rather rough voice broke through the weighty atmosphere. “Good morning, Yukina, my love!”

        Amaya jerked at the newcomer’s sudden appearance, her instinctive yelp drowning in another mouthful of tea. She choked the liquid down before coughing as she rapped her chest to clear her lungs.

        Yukina’s face lit up with a smile as she turned towards the open door. “Good morning, Kazuma. I didn’t expect you to arrive here for a few more hours yet. I would’ve made more for breakfast if I had known.”

        The tall teenage boy with the burnt orange pompadour standing in the doorway could have been intimidating due to his size and the toned body barely hidden by his long green jacket, if not for the goofy smile on his face and the way he giggled. “Don’t worry, I already had a big breakfast on the train. I was just so excited to spend time with you that I couldn’t wait until our…” That was when Kuwabara noticed the other people in the room. “Huh? Kurama? Botan? What the heck are you guys doing here so early?”

        “Freeloading,” Genkai said, though her sarcasm lacked any real bite. “What else?” She sipped her tea calmly without once glancing towards the door, her eyes rarely straying far from the Spirit Detective.

        “Good morning, Kuwabara!” Botan said, smiling brightly at her friend. “Actually, we’ve been here since last night.” She spared a brief glance towards Kurama and Amaya. “You see, we just closed a new case, but there’re a few… problems, so we came here for Master Genkai’s help.”

        Kuwabara’s eyes widened in surprise. “New case?” He paused, as a sudden thought struck him like thunder. “You mean Yusuke’s back?” He looked around for his friend and rival, but halted upon noticing Amaya. “Huh? Who’s this?”

        The question made Amaya too self-conscious to reply, at least not right away, so she drew out the chewing of her rice to delay her response.

        Botan felt flustered as well, but recovered much more quickly, sparing Amaya the need to answer. “Oh, right, you two haven’t met yet. Kuwabara, allow me to introduce you to Amaya Mamori. She’s…” The rest of what she intended to say slipped away from her, as a part of her still refused to voice the simple fact that Yusuke had been replaced.

        Kuwabara failed to notice Botan’s hesitation or the hint of pain in her expression, as he already focused on the newest member of their team. “It’s nice to meet you, Amaya.” He flashed Amaya a grin before subtly shifting his stance, his chest puffing out slightly. “The name’s Kazuma Kuwabara, the number one punk of Sarayashiki Junior High.”

        “It’s nice to meet you too,” Amaya said, and she meant it despite the awkwardness she felt. She glanced at Botan, wondering if her guide would explain the situation, until she saw the look in the other girl’s pink eyes. “I–”

        Kuwabara let out a short bark of laughter, accidentally cutting Amaya off. “About time I got to say that without that punk interruptin’ me.” He returned his attention to his friends. “So where is Yusuke anyway? If he thinks I’m gonna help when he came back early without lettin’ me or Keiko know, he’s got another thing comin’ unless he’s got a darn good excuse!”

        Botan felt her stomach churn unpleasantly. “A-actually Yusuke is still… uh… still visiting Raizen.”

        Kuwabara’s expression turned blank. “Huh? But I thought you said we had a new case. How can there be a new case if there’s no Spirit Detective to take the case?”

        Botan shifted in place as she moved her chopsticks around on her plate without any real purpose. “Oh, uh… well… a-about that…”

        “There is,” Kurama said, his voice just loud enough to interrupt Botan while still carrying a soft undertone. “King Yama has already seen fit to appoint a successor for Yusuke.” He gestured towards Amaya, who looked up almost on cue.

        Kuwabara stared at Amaya, blinking slowly. “A successor?” His entire body jerked as the ramifications sunk in. “Wait, _what?_!” He failed to notice how Amaya flinched at his shout and whirled towards Kurama. “What do you _mean_ King Yama replaced Yusuke?! _Koenma_ ’s the one in charge of who gets to be Spirit Detective, and there’s no way he’d let that fly!” He paused when he remembered the new Spirit Detective was present with them, and cast a sheepish glance Amaya’s way. “Uh, no offense.”

        Amaya fixed her eyes to the table, her hands moving mechanically to force herself to finish her breakfast. The polite thing would have been to lie and claim that she was not upset by the topic, or by the fact that they were talking as though she was not present. _I wonder if they all reacted this way._

        “Now, wait a minute, Kuwabara,” Botan said. “I’m as upset as anyone…” She glanced at Amaya. “Er, I mean, I… Well, I mean I didn’t want Yusuke to leave either, but Human World still _needs_ a Spirit Detective right now, and since Koenma, uh, took an extended leave of absence, King Yama had to take over and pick out _someone_ who could handle the job.” She turned towards Amaya pointedly. “And I think you’re doing a _wonderful_ job so far, Amaya. I’m sure Yusuke would say so too if he were here.”

        Amaya swallowed the last bit of food she had spent too much time chewing, as warmth spread through her cheeks. While she hesitated to completely raise her head or speak, she showed her appreciation towards Botan with a smile half hidden by her bangs.

        “I agree,” Kurama said, casting a kind gaze Amaya’s way. “In fact, I dare say Yusuke would feel relieved that you’re here while he’s away. Your help was invaluable yesterday.”

        The heat intensified in Amaya’s face and she fumbled for a moment before she could reply. “Th-thank you…” She straightened up, tucking her bangs behind an ear as her smile strengthened. “I’m glad… that I could help.”

        “Yesterday?” Kuwabara looked from Amaya to his friends and back, his expression hovering between frustration and concern. He sat down at the table beside Yukina with little grace, settling on feeling sour towards secrets kept hidden from him. “Okay, someone better fill me in about what’s going on right now.”

        It was tricky to be brief when summarizing the events that had occurred in the past handful of days, despite leaving out certain things that Botan and Kurama had agreed to keep from Amaya for now. Botan did most of the talking, with Kurama taking over whenever she faltered on certain details, and Amaya speaking up only sparingly. By the time they finished, Kuwabara was leaning back on his arms, his eyes wide.

        “Whoa…,” Kuwabara said. “That’s heavy stuff.”

        “Those poor children…,” Yukina murmured.

        Kuwabara straightened up and leaned across the table towards his friends. “So, what, the kids are gonna be alright, right? You said they got changed back and are gonna go home, but I don’t wanna think they’re gonna have nightmares of having eyes that glow in the dark.”

        Botan tried to smooth over Kuwabara and Yukina’s concerns with a smile. “Don’t worry. Spirit World will make sure none of the children remember anything that happened to them. They’re going to be just fine, I’m sure.”

        “I sure hope so,” Kuwabara said before he exhaled deeply. “Man, why do I always gotta be the last one to find out about these things? If I’da known there were demons that got through the portal, I would’ve hunt ‘em down myself and sliced ‘em into itty bitty pieces with my Spirit Sword!” He held his fists close together and pantomimed cutting down invisible demons for a few moments before he scowled. “And how long were you gonna wait until you told me Yusuke’s been _replaced_ , huh?” He paused and glanced at Amaya with a hint of guilt in his expression. “Er, no offense.”

        Despite the fact that her breakfast was not sitting well in her stomach, Amaya wanted there to be more for her to eat so that she could use it as an excuse not to respond. As things stood, she could only give Kuwabara a half-hearted smile in an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness of the situation.

        Botan shifted around to find a more comfortable position to sit in. “Uh, well, that… well it isn’t exactly an _easy_ topic to discuss, you know. And it’s not as though we were keeping it a _secret_ or anything. King Yama only told me about a few days ago – he hasn’t even made a public proclamation to Spirit World about it yet – and I was just looking for the right time to let everyone know about it.” She placed her hands down onto the tabletop. “B-besides, if I interrupted your studies again, I’m pretty sure Shizuru would kill me!”

        “Botan does have a point, Kazuma,” Yukina said. “Shizuru has been cracking down on your studies pretty hard, hasn’t she? She only lets you visit Master Genkai and me after you pass those practice tests she gives you.”

        Kuwabara’s expression contorted at the thought of Shizuru – more specifically his sister’s wrath. “Okay, I guess I can understand that. It’s not like I’m wild about getting on my sister’s bad side either.”

         “Besides,” Kurama said, “you’re far from the last person in our group to find out.” A wry smile tugged at his lips. “For instance, I doubt _Hiei_ has any idea of what’s been happening on this side of the barrier since he left.”

        Kuwabara let out a short burst of laughter. “Hah! So Shorty gets to be the one left outta the loop for once.” His grin stretched nearly from ear to ear. “Serves him right for running off like that.”

        Botan felt a growing sense of relief that the tension in the air was slowly fading away. “Anyway, there’s nothing more any of us can do right now except wait for Spirit World intelligence to track down where the demons might be hiding.”

        “And continue my training,” Amaya said. A beat later, when everyone looked her way, she almost regretted saying anything at all. “Right?”

        Botan felt her enthusiasm multiply thanks to Amaya’s willingness to grow as a Spirit Detective. “Right you are! We’ll be _much_ better prepared for the next mission. I guarantee it.” She paused and glanced over at Genkai, her gaze almost innocent. “And speaking of training…”

        The look Genkai returned was deadpan. “Just because I took the dimwit as my successor doesn’t mean I’m going to be training every Spirit Detective King Yama sends my way.”

        “Yes, well,” Botan said, flustered. “I wasn’t trying to imply… But you, trained those boys from Mushiyori, didn’t you? Amaya _also_ has the power of Territory, so perhaps you could at least give her a few pointers on how to use it? Any sort of tips you might have for her at all would be of great help to us.”

        “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to do it,” Genkai said, her voice not quite as sharp as before. “Showing you kids how to not get yourselves killed is easier than picking up the pieces. Just don’t expect me to pull off the same results I got with Yusuke.” She cast a pointed gaze in Amaya’s direction.

        Amaya tried hard not to flinch as Genkai stared hard into her eyes, despite feeling as though the elderly woman was somehow gazing deep into her soul and judging her lacking. She tactfully averted her gaze towards the table as she bowed her head. “I appreciate whatever help you’re willing to give me, Master Genkai.”

        The corner of Genkai’s mouth quirked upward slightly.

        Kuwabara’s curiosity grew as he looked to the new Spirit Detective. “Oh, so you’re from Mushiyori like Mitarai and the other psychics, huh? So what kinda stuff can you do?”

        Amaya felt almost relieved to be given a chance to prove that she could do _something_ worthwhile. She traced a circle on the table around her teacup, creating a glowing blue ring that turned a dome that completely surrounded the cup. “Those barriers I made that we told you about? Those _are_ my Territory.” She carefully balanced her empty rice bowl on top of the glowing shield, demonstrating that there was a distinct space in between two dishes. “I also know how to make protective talismans, and Botan taught me how to fire the Spirit Gun.”

        Kurama watched intently as Amaya push the bowl down through the barrier with little resistance, until the dish was balanced directly on top of the teacup. “That reminds me… Where did you learn how to make your talismans? I don’t recall you ever mentioning that.”

        Amaya blinked and looked up at Kurama in the same instant that her Territory disappeared. “Oh, I got it from a book I once read. I’ve been reading books on the supernatural since I was little and, well, when those demon insects invaded, I kept testing different symbols until I found something that works.”

        Kurama tilted his head slightly. “Do you remember which book you read that told you how to make the talismans you’ve been using for your charms?”

        Amaya’s brow furrowed as her eyes drifted towards the ceiling. She was not completely able to suppress her discomfort as she finally gave Kurama a shrug. “I’ve read a _lot_ of books.”

        Genkai rose to her feet. “Alright, that’s enough sitting around talking. Come on, Girl.” She spared Amaya only a short glance before she headed towards the doors, her arms folded behind her back. “If I’m going to teach you anything, I need to know what you’re capable of.”

        Amaya moved to her feet quickly after a belated start and spared the others a brief glance before she followed Genkai. She felt her pulse quicken, as she suspected that she was going to be tested more critically than with Botan or Kurama, if the elderly woman’s attitude was any indication. She tried to ignore the sound of the others’ footsteps as they followed as well, likely out of curiosity. She did not need the risk that performance anxiety would make her do something humiliating in front of a small crowd.

        The place Genkai brought Amaya and the others was a sizable clearing in the woods a fair distance from her home. The large pine trees overhead had caught much of the fallen snow from the previous night, leaving nearly a circle of brown grass that framed dozens of large rocks lying scattered about. The master of the Spirit Wave technique jerked her thumb towards one of the more sizable boulders. “Let’s see how much damage your Spirit Gun can do to this rock.”

        Amaya looked at the stone then nodded, somewhat relieved. This test was not much different than the one Botan had her perform the other day. “Alright.” She nearly asked if Genkai wanted to see the full extent of her power using the Concentration Ring, but thought better of it. Botan had not wanted her to use it during her initial trial of the Spirit Gun, and she did not want to look foolish by asking unnecessary questions. She closed her eyes so that she would not focus on how so many people were standing nearby, watching her as she shifted to a more braced stance, and focused instead on her task and the small relief she felt that her hands were well enough that she could perform.

        The experience was much like the first time Amaya fired her spirit gun, only the tension was noticeably higher. She feared failing the others’ expectations even more thanks to the realization that everyone present, even Botan, wished that it were Yusuke standing there instead of her. She forced herself to ignore the strange tension that built inside her body when she gathered her Spirit Energy, the sensation focused particularly where her finger glowed a brilliant blue. She knew now was the time to release that energy, but somehow it seemed noticeably more difficult without the Concentration Ring. For a moment, she panicked that her bad experiences with the Spirit Gun had created some form of subconscious interference, and she forced herself to unleash her attack.

         _Pain_.

        The light of her Spirit Energy was almost blinding when Amaya used her Spirit Gun. The recoil shuddered up her arm and rocked her to the bones. For the span of a heartbeat, there was a sense of bewilderment among those watching, as the energy never left her body, leaving the boulder completely untouched. Confusion turned to alarm as the Spirit Detective teetered backward, crumpling like a ragdoll.

        Kurama almost reacted too late to catch Amaya before she hit the ground. He called her name, but the Spirit Detective did not answer. Her jaw was taut, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth where her teeth bit into her cheek when they clenched. Her eyes were skewed closed, spilling trails of tears down her face, which served to highlight the agony etched in her expression.

        Botan ran to Amaya’s side along with the others. “Oh my goodness! Amaya!”

        Kuwabara took one look at Amaya before he turned his attention to his friends, and then their surroundings. “What the heck happened? Did someone attack her or somethin’?”

        “No,” Genkai said, her voice calm despite the situation. “There’s no one else here but us.”

         “Oh dear,” Yukina said. She knelt beside Amaya and brought her hands to the Spirit Detective’s cheek, healing the only injury that she could see.

        “Amaya!” Kurama said, raising his voice. “Can you hear me?”

        Amaya shuddered as she slowly moved her head in a nod, though it was clear the action took a toll on her. With much effort, she managed to open her eyes as she forced her teeth apart. She moved her mouth as though speaking, but the only sound that passed from her lips was her ragged breath.

        Yukina looked over Amaya, a growing sense of confusion mingling with the worry in her expression. “I don’t see any injuries, do you, Master Genkai?” She turned to Genkai, who had been the last to approach, though the martial arts master had been watching Amaya the entire time with sharp eyes.

        Botan hovered nearby, not wishing to crowd Amaya or get in the way of Yukina or Genkai. “What happened? Where does it hurt?”

        Amaya did not utter a sound, though her lips still moved as though she was speaking with great difficulty.

        Botan had been ready to ask another question when Kurama spoke first. “She can’t speak,” he said, never taking his eyes off Amaya. “Amaya’s voice stops working whenever she’s in significant pain.”

        Kuwabara outright gawked at Kurama. “Say what? How do you know that?”

        “It’s what she’s trying to tell us right now,” Genkai said, only sparing Kuwabara a brief glance out of the corner of her eye. “You’re lucky at least two of us know how to read lips.” She moved in closer, Botan and Yukina moving aside to give her some space as she examined Amaya more closely. After a moment, her brow slanted as she let out a low, displeased hum.

        Botan felt her anxiety grow stronger by the second. “What is it, Master Genkai?”

        Genkai regarded Amaya, who tried to look back at her with eyes that were reluctant to focus. A second later, she struck, her fingers jabbing the Spirit Detective’s neck where Yukina’s ribbon covered it. Amaya’s eyes rolled upward as her eyelids closed, her body going completely limp against Kurama.

        Kuwabara jerked then whirled towards Genkai. “Hey, what the heck did you do that for?”

        Genkai ignored Kuwabara, turning her attention to Kurama instead. “I have a strong hunch about one of the seals.”

        Kurama’s gaze lingered only a moment longer at Amaya’s face, now relaxed and free of pain, before he met Genkai’s gaze. “What is it?”

        “Whoever wanted to hide Amaya didn’t want her hurting anyone either,” Genkai said. “At least not by herself. If I’m right, unless she uses some kind of tool like her talismans to draw it out, whenever she tries using her Spirit Energy to attack, it’s going to rebound inside her and make her feel like she’s being dragged through Hell.”

         “Master Genkai,” Yukina said, “isn’t there anything we can do to help her?”

        Genkai shook her head, her expression stoic as she regarded the others. “There’s no injuries for us to heal, so it’d be a waste of time and energy to try. This is just the seal using Amaya’s own Spirit Energy to torture her whenever she does something she’s not supposed to. Not even painkillers will do much to help her right now.”

        Genkai focused back on Amaya, but no matter how often she looked at the girl, there was no trace of Spirit Energy to read, just the barest hints of something more that eluded all of them. “The best thing we can do for her is to let her sleep through it.”


End file.
